PCS has appointed a new commercial director to help grow the business outside its traditional markets in the newspaper publishing sector.

Lawrence Hill, 53, has 15 years experience in software sales and eight years in infrastructure.

He joined PCS on December 1 from Proquis Ltd, a global software vendor in the governance, risk and compliance sector, where he was responsible for partner sales in Europe and direct sales in the UK.

The company’s web-based software was used in the nuclear, pharmaceutical and defence industries among others – and it is to that sort of market he is hoping to introduce PCS’s new flagship digital content management and publishing application, Knowledge.

Originally developed on behalf of the Midland News Association, publishers of the Express & Star and Shropshire Star and their associated weekly titles, Knowledge is beginning to attract attention outside the newspaper industry.

Says Lawrence, who will be spearheading the push into new areas: “In looking for a new challenge I was very keen to take the opportunity with PCS because I believe the company has the potential to diversify into many markets.

“I like Knowledge and I like what the product has the potential to do.  The challenge will be to see how easy it is to take Knowledge out of where it’s been brought up and take it somewhere entirely new.

“We have to identify and open new markets in which Knowledge can excel, because once we have customers we also have money coming in to continue development.”

Lawrence, a former Master Mariner, driving super tankers and third generation gas tankers, is married with three grown up children, and will continue to live for the foreseeable future in Bedfordshire.

“For the time being, that makes sense,” he says. “I have all the facilities to work from home and I have London’s five airports within an hour if I need to be spreading the word abroad.

“That said, I’m really looking forward to meeting the people at PCS’s headquarters in Wolverhampton who have been behind the development of Knowledge. “

Philip Walker, PCS’s managing director, welcomed Mr Hill’s appointment.

“Lawrence joins us at exactly the right time in Knowledge’s evolution,” he said.