The FT Group announced Tuesday that Jon Slade, currently FT chief commercial officer, will become its new chief executive officer.
He will become CEO on July 1 and replaces John Ridding, who recently announced his intent to retire.
Slade has 30 years of media industry experience, more than 20 of which have been spent at the Financial Times. He held various roles in the advertising team, before becoming CCO and joining the FT management board in 2014. He is currently responsible for three quarters of the FT Group’s more than £500mn annual revenues. This includes global advertising, print circulation, consultancy and subscription income.
Slade and his team have grown revenue, profitable contribution and readership numbers every year since he became CCO. Notable achievements include returning the FT ads business to growth in the face of industry-level decline, and streamlining the FT’s print operations to sustain its profitable print business.
More recently, he has overseen the rapid growth of the Group’s consulting business, FT Strategies, and played a pivotal role in defining and executing the FT’s successful digital subscriptions strategy.
“I am incredibly proud to become CEO of the FT, a dynamic and iconic brand that has evolved over 137 years, but never lost sight of its mission to bring robust, independent journalism to an international audience,” said Slade in a statement. “There has rarely been a more consequential period for professional news media. I look forward to tackling the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in our rapidly shifting landscape.”
