FT names new Africa and Asia editors

The Financial Times announced Tuesday that David Pilling is named Africa editor, retaining his role as assistant editor while Beijing bureau chief Jamil Anderlini replaces Pilling as Asia editor. He is also promoted to assistant editor.

“David’s unique insight, experience and leadership will bring great strength to the FT’s coverage of Africa as a hugely important continent for global business,” said FT editor in chief Lionel Barber. “David has done a remarkable job interpreting Asia for more than a decade, guiding our award-winning coverage of some of the world’s fastest growing economies.”

He added: “Jamil has been outstanding as the FT’s Beijing bureau chief over the past four years. His deep, original reporting of the rise of China as a global superpower has been written with great insight and sensitivity, taking our coverage to new levels and widened our appeal. This experience will be of great advantage in his new role as we grow our digital operations and reach in Asia.”

Pilling joined the FT in 1990 from the Africa Economic Digest, serving first in London as a sub-editor and later as a correspondent in Santiago and Buenos Aires. Prior to his appointment as Asia editor in 2008, Pilling was the FT’s Tokyo bureau chief for six years.

Pilling has been awarded a variety of reporting prizes, most recently for coverage of Japan and China, both individually and as part of FT teams. In both 2011 and 2012, he was named Best Commentator by SOPA for his columns on China, Japan, India and Pakistan. He was also named Best Foreign Commentator for 2011 in the Editorial Intelligence Comment Awards for coverage of China, Japan and Pakistan.

Anderlini has served as Beijing bureau chief since 2011. Prior to joining the FT, he was Beijing business correspondent for the South China Morning Post and chief editor for China Economic Review. He has been based in China since 2000.

Anderlini has won numerous awards, including a UK Foreign Press Association Award in 2008, several individual SOPA awards and the inaugural Jones-Mauthner Award in 2012. In 2013, Anderlini was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and short-listed for Foreign Reporter of the Year at The Press Awards in the UK.

Pilling and Anderlini will take up their new positions in January 2016 in London and Hong Kong, respectively.