Much of the British DM industry is mourning the death of Direct Marketing International editor and publisher Peter Peskett, who died of a heart attack Jan. 26. He owned the monthly magazine for almost a decade.
Peskett, 56, started his journalism career at East Midlands Allied Press — a newspaper and magazine publishing company in the Midlands of England — and became managing director of one of its divisions.
Direct Marketing International had been around for five years when he and a partner bought it, “but it had never been a success,” said Rosemary Smith, a friend and veteran British direct marketer. She said Peskett made the magazine successful.
“He was a very private man more interested in listening to others than talking about himself,” said Jenny Mosley of National Geographic, who is chairwoman of the United Kingdom Direct Marketing Association. “He always wanted the whole story. He cut to the chase quickly and always spotted a solution to things.”
The funeral was held on February 8th at St. Fermins Church in the village of Thurlby, England.
Peskett is survived by his wife Sue and a grown daughter, Karen.
