OLD Media Moves

Ex-BusinessWeek editor named Reuters editor in chief

February 7, 2011

Thomson Reuters chief executive officer Tom Glocer sent out the following announcement to the staff on Monday:

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Stephen Adler as Editor-in-Chief, Reuters News and Executive Vice President-News, Thomson Reuters, effective today. He will oversee the entire company’s news strategy and operations. Steve succeeds David Schlesinger, who after four years as Editor-in-Chief will become Chairman of Thomson Reuters China to help develop and support our growth strategy and build senior relationships in the region. He will also be a regular contributor on China for Reuters News.

In his new role, Steve will be a member of my Executive Committee and will report jointly to Devin Wenig and Jim Smith. This reporting relationship will help ensure that news will become a central asset for both divisions the very heart of our company. Steve is the ideal choice to lead the next phase in the development of Reuters News as a core capability for Thomson Reuters. During the past year, as Editorial Director of the Professional division, Steve has recruited and led a talented team of journalists and editors in creating news services for our Legal, Tax & Accounting and Healthcare & Science businesses. He will now incorporate this team into the Reuters News organization to serve professionals across all of our businesses.

Before joining us, Steve was Editor-in-Chief of Business Week where, during his tenure, the magazine and its website won more than 100 major journalism awards, and an Investigative Editor at The Wall Street Journal, where he managed reporting teams that won three Pulitzer Prizes. Prior to that, Steve was Editor of The American Lawyer the leading general circulation publication for legal professionals in the US. Steve’s combined journalistic experience, editing publications for business, finance and legal professionals, could not be better suited for his role at Thomson Reuters.

This is the perfect moment for David Schlesinger to return to China in a senior strategic role to support the development of our businesses in this key market. David brings extraordinary passion and experience to this mission. He joined our Hong Kong Bureau in 1987 and later ran Reuters editorial operations in Taiwan, China and the Greater China region in a series of posts. Prior to joining Reuters, David wrote for a variety of publications from Hong Kong. He speaks fluent Mandarin and Cantonese, and is well versed in Chinese business, politics and culture.

Before David moves on to his next role, I want to thank him for the important achievements during his time as Editor-in-Chief. Among many accomplishments, I would single-out the integration of BreakingViews, IFR and Thomson Financial News, the launch of Reuters Insider and Top News, the recruitment of many talented journalists and editors, the expansion of our already excellent coverage of rapidly developing economies, and significant upgrades to our editorial technology including the Lynx platform.

Our news organization is now poised to advance to new levels of excellence in an industry which is moving very fast. Please join me in thanking David for getting us here and supporting Steve as he takes us forward.

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