Zanny Minton Beddoes appointed new editor of The Economist

The Economist Group announced today (January 22nd) that Zanny Minton Beddoes has been named as the 17th editor of The Economist. 

She succeeds John Micklethwait, the editor for the past nine years, during which time the circulation grew from 1.1 million to 1.6 million. Zanny is currently The Economist’s business affairs editor, overseeing the newspaper’s business, finance, economics, science and technology coverage. She previously served as its economics editor. She joined The Economist in 1994, after spending two years as an economist at the International Monetary Fund.

Rupert Pennant-Rea, chairman of The Economist Group, as well as a former editor of The Economist, said:
“The Board has chosen Zanny as editor, someone who is a fine leader, with long experience on the paper. She will be a true advocate for The Economist and its values.”

Zanny Minton Beddoes said:
“I am delighted to be given the opportunity to edit The Economist. It is one of journalism’s great institutions, with an extraordinarily talented staff.” 

She takes up her appointment on February 2nd.

  

For more information, contact:

Mathew Hanratty, corporate communications manager

+44 (0)20 7576 8546

mathewhanratty@economist.com

 

Michelle Hayden, communications manager

+1 212 641 9827

michellehayden@economist.com

 

Notes to editors 

For more than 170 years, The Economist has had at its core five qualities that together give it a unique place in the media landscape: a smart guide to the forces that shape the future, through the analysis of the political, economic, social, cultural and technological forces that shape the world; a trusted filter on world affairs that is concise, informative and “finishable”—an antidote to information overload; an advocate for positive change, staying true to its founding principle: to take part in “a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress”; a global perspective since 1843. Globalisation has played a major part in The Economist’s growth and will continue as technology continues to make the world a smaller place; world-class journalism for which our readers are prepared to pay a premium price.

 

Editors of The Economist

James Wilson (1843-1857)

Richard Holt Hutton (1857-1861)

Walter Bagehot (1861-1877)

Daniel Conner Lathbury (1877-1881)

R.H.I. Palgrave (1877-1883)

Edward Johnstone (1883-1907)

F.W. Hirst (1907-1916)

Hartley Withers (1916-1921)

W.T. Layton (1922-1938)

Geoffrey Crowther (1938-1956)

Donald Tyerman (1956-1965)

Alastair Burnet (1965-1974)

Andrew Knight (1974-1986)

Rupert Pennant-Rea (1986-1993)

Bill Emmott (1993-2006)

John Micklethwait (2006-2015)

Zanny Minton Beddoes (2015-)

 

(January 22nd 2015)