He replaces Chris Stanley, who left the society in April to head Danish business-to-business internet job-matching service MatchWork's UK operations.
Hoath was formerly national development manager of the society and has also held positions at GWR Group, where he was head of regional sales, and The West Australian magazine in Perth, where he was advertising sales manager.
The society has also appointed Jim Brown to chair its new marketing committee. Brown is chairman of Newsquest Media Group, the largest regional publisher in England and Wales.
It said the appointments reflect a refocusing of its marketing effort on the "all-important goal of increasing the regional press share of national advertising revenue".
"Through the 'Creating New Perspectives' campaign, we are already starting to change hearts and minds among advertisers and agencies," Brown said.
The Newspaper Society represents Britain's 1,300 daily and weekly, paid-for and free, local and regional newspapers.
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