One of the county’s foremost business leaders Edwin Boorman has passed away after a short illness. He was 76.

As former managing director, chief executive, chairman and latterly president of the KM Group, he steered the long-established family firm to pre-eminence in Kent and Medway as a multi-media business. Under his leadership, it became one of the country’s leading newspaper publishers.

He was influential in national circles, at one time president of the Newspaper Society, and later honoured by the Queen with an OBE. Prince Charles presented him with a Spirit of Kent Award. He had also been High Sheriff for a year.

He was the third generation of the Boorman family to run the company, taking on the role from his father Henry Roy Pratt Boorman.

As a former chairman of the Kent branch of the Institute of Directors, he raised the profile of the organisation and helped make it the biggest IoD branch in the country.

He also chaired the regeneration group North Kent Success.

He worked tirelessly for charities and good causes, including the Royal British Legion and St John Ambulance.

His core business was the county of Kent and he did everything he could to promote it.

Business Editor Trevor Sturgess said: "He was the ideal business leader, investing time not only in his enterprise but also in the wider community. He was a great supporter of business coverage and took a personal interest in each copy of the monthly Kent Business. His towering presence will be felt around the Group long after today’s sad news.