Top editor resigns …

Business Asia, August, 2008

David Armstrong, the president and chief operating officer of Thailand's Post Publishing--the Bangkok Post company--is to retire from his position at the end of the year.

Armstrong says he is retiring from full-time work after almost 40 years in journalism but he plans to write and take on some consultancy work. "I'm not calling it retirement," he says. "I'm sure retirement is death, or something close to it."

Armstrong's career began in 1969, when he joined The Australian--then only five years old--as a general reporter.

He went on to become editor and then editor-in-chief of the national newspaper. He was the first journalist to start his career on The Australian and then rise to be the editor.

Armstrong was also editor of the now-defunct newsmagazine, The Bulletin, editor of the Canberra Times and editor (and later editor-in-chief) of Hong Kong's South China Morning Post.

In 2003 he was awarded the Australian Government's Centenary Medal for services to journalism and the newspaper industry.

Two years later he moved to Bangkok, where he was appointed deputy CEO (later called president and chief operating officer) of Post Publishing, which produces the English-language Bangkok Post and the Thai-language business paper, Post Today. The company is also active in magazine publishing, TV, radio and the Internet.

Armstrong has served on the board of Post Publishing and its Executive Committee, as well as being a director of the company's magazine subsidiary.

He plans to stay on the board of Post Publishing.

He is a qualified company director, having completed the Thai Institute of Directors certification course, which is run in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

"After almost 40 years in the business, I think it is time for me to do some work for myself," he says. "I'll do some writing--anything from blogs to books and I have already has a couple of offers of consultancy work."

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Armstrong's wife, the magazine editor Deb Bailey, passed away in 2001. He now has a Thai partner, Nichapa Mahuemuang, and they are looking at starting a small resort and restaurant outside of Bangkok. "I may not be much of a resort manager," he says. "But I should be able to handle the marketing."

He will also take advantage of life in Bangkok, which has about 40 golf courses, and play a little golf.