The move was formally announced as he became the eighteenth PPA Marcus Morris award recipient, commended for revolutionising the association at a time of enormous change in the media.

Presenting him with the award, the highest accolade in UK magazine publishing, an emotional Helen Alexander, chief executive of The Economist, praised his tireless commitment and admitted that his role at the PPA had been hugely influential in her taking up the post as chair of the association.

Under his leadership, the magazine body has grown from 120 member companies and a turnover of £600,000, to a membership of nearly 400 publisher and 120 associate members, and a turnover of some £8.5 million.

More than 350 publishing leaders gave Locks a standing ovation as he accepted his award with the modesty and forthrightness that has come to typify his tenure.

“19 years ago we had a dream ...well [Sir] David Arculus had a dream,” he said. “It was that magazines had to be a brand and be a sunrise rather than a sunset medium and I was honoured that he asked me to take on the challenge.”

He went on to provide a brief romp through Britain’s magazine history during the last 20 years, which has included fighting off the threat of VAT twice, resisting proposed punitive rates from Royal Mail, and harnessing and shaping new sectors, including customer publishing through the APA and the digital content industries through the AOP.

There was also notable recognition for PPA’s deputy chief executive, Nick Mazur, who has absorbed many of the CEO’s duties in the interim period. 

The magazine protagonist ended with the observation that: “Lucky is the man who has everything that he wants. I’d like to think that is me, most days.”

Prior to joining PPA, he held various editorial posts with Northcliffe Newspapers and London, Middlesex and Essex Newspapers, of which he was editorial director for six years.

Among his achievements, Locks is a council member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations, and a director of the Publishers Licensing Society and Copyright Licensing Agency.

He serves on the council of the Advertising Association, and is a member of the board of both the European Federation of Magazine Associations (FAEP), and the International Federation of Periodical Publishers (FIPP).

Locks also serves on the CBI Trade Association Council and was for two years chairman of the CBI’s Trade Association Forum, who in 2003 presented him with an award ‘for outstanding contribution to the trade association sector’.

Arif Durrani is news editor at mad.co.uk.