Dow Jones Newswires hires two new columnists

Dow Jones Newswires announced Tuesday that it has hired two non-journalists to be columnists.

Paul Sharma, based in London, joins as a telecommunications, media and technology columnist and Donna Childs, based in New York, joins as a financial services columnist.

“The appointments of Paul and Donna are part of our overarching strategy to enhance our editorial teams with top industry talent. We are drawing on the hedge fund and banking communities to deepen Dow Jones’s reporting and commentary on companies, industries and events for investment bankers and corporate advisors,” said Adam Smallman, global managing editor for investment banking coverage at Dow Jones Newswires, in a statement.

“During this time of great change in markets, our editorial focus is firmly on delivering to investment bankers the intelligence that powers deals and transactions. With their industry experience, Paul and Donna will offer a unique perspective on firms, sectors and events for our investment banker readership.”

Sharma has 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. Prior to Dow Jones, he was a partner at a London-based hedge fund, Cheyne Capital Management, where he managed a telecommunications value fund. Prior to that, he was the director of telecommunications sales at HSBC and spent four years as vice president and lead telecommunications analyst at J.P. Morgan in London.Â

Before joining Dow Jones, Childs led the microfinance firm Childs Capital LLC, which she founded in 1998. Prior to this, she was president and chief operating officer of ERC Financial Market Products in New York, an investment banker in the financial institutions group of Goldman Sachs and a director at Swiss Reinsurance Company in Zurich. Childs has won multiple awards throughout her career, including the National Association of Women Business Owners’ ‘2007 Woman Business Owner of the Year.’