WSJ names Western its Asia business editor

Wall Street Journal Asia editor Paul Beckett sent out the following announcement on Tuesday:

We are delighted to announce that Neil Western is our new Asia Business Editor, responsible for delivering our signature corporate and industry news and analysis for our global audience.

Neil joined the Journal in March as the Asia deputy business editor, based in Hong Kong. In addition to delivering dozens of top-notch stories, he has led multimedia projects, including one that tracked the delivery of a sari across India to highlight the challenges of the emerging e-commerce industry there.

Prior to joining the WSJ, Neil worked for Bloomberg News, where he ran projects and investigations in Asia. He led its award-winning 2012 Revolution to Riches project — a set of stories that exposed the wealth of China’s political cadres, including Xi Jinping — and helmed projects on everything from Chinese companies going abroad to tracing the impact of the global credit crunch on diamond polishers in India.

A 20-year veteran of Hong Kong, Neil worked at the South China Morning Post and set up the Asia features desk at Agence France-Presse, after cutting his teeth as a crime reporter in Birmingham, England. He’s currently serving as president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Hong Kong, where he is always happy to take visitors. Neil hails from Bristol, England. He holds a graduate degree in journalism from Cardiff University and a bachelor’s in politics and international relations from Staffordshire University. Outside work, Neil supports two lost causes from afar – the England cricket team and Bristol Rovers football club.

Please join us in wishing Neil well in his new role.