Former BusinessWeek editor new editor of South China Morning Post

Mark Clifford, who was Asia regional editor for BusinessWeek from 1995 to 2003 and a former business editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review, is the new editor of the South China Morning Post, effective April 1, according to this morning’s paper.

A short announcement in the paper stated, “At the same time, David Armstrong has decided to step down as director, editorial, of the Post from March 1, in order to focus his time on the Bangkok Post, where he has held the position of deputy chief executive officer since May 1 last year. Mr Armstrong was with the Post from 1993 to 1996, first as editor, then editor-in-chief, and more recently from March 2003, as group editor-in-chief, then director, editorial.

“Mr Kuok expressed deep appreciation, on behalf of the SCMP board of directors and management, to Mr Armstrong for his contributions to the Post. “We wish him the very best in his endeavours at the Bangkok Post,” he said.

“Mr Clifford joins the Post from The Standard, where he has been publisher and editor-in-chief since January 2004.”

As BusinessWeek’s Asian regional editor, Clifford oversaw the coverage of some 20 countries, heading a team of six correspondents and numerous special writers. The turf includes China and Greater China, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and, since the events of 2001, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and assorted pieces of their troubled “-stan” neighboring countries.

The press release can be read here.