David Armstrong Editor-in-chief of Phnom Penh Post

Former editor-in-chief of The Australian and South China Morning Post David Armstrong has been appointed chairman of Post Media Ltd as part of a major editorial and commercial reshuffle.

Bernie Leo, a senior editor at the Shanghai Daily, has been appointed the editor-in-chief of the media group, which purchased The Phnom Penh Post in 2008 and took it from a fortnightly to a daily in August of that year. It also added a Khmer-language daily in September 2009 and a weekly sports journal in March of this year.

The Post’s publisher, Ross Dunkley, said the company had been searching for a chairman for some time.

“In the end choosing David Armstrong was simple. He’s one of only a handful in the world today who can claim to have successfully straddled the media both in the East and the West,” Dunkley said.

“He’s enthusiastic and young at heart, but at the same time it is his wisdom and sensibility which we value, and the shareholders are confident he is the right person at the right time. David has already put his stethoscope over our media assets in both Myanmar and Cambodia and understands where we are going.”

Australian miner and entrepreneur Bill Clough is stepping down as chairman but will remain as a director and major shareholder.

Clough is part of the Clough family from Perth. His father, Harold Clough, is also a shareholder and is a former director of West Australian Newspapers.

Armstrong brings to the group more than 40 years’ experience in journalism and newspaper management at the highest level in Australia and Southeast Asia as it eyes a second phase of aggressive growth.

“The company has come a long way in a very challenging financial and media environment, and as we move into our third year of operations we are delighted to have David on board,” Dunkley said.

“We have already successfully turned The Phnom Penh Post into Cambodia’s first international-standard daily and launched a sister publication that is rapidly gaining market share in a crowded Khmer-language market. But there is still plenty of untapped opportunity, and David will guide our new-look team as we move forward to capture them.”

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