FT names new Lex editor

The Financial Times announced Friday the appointment of John Authers as its global editor of Lex, the well-known business and financial column. Authers will take up his new role on April 1 and lead the team from New York until he relocates to London in September.

Authers is currently the FT’s investment editor and principal commentator on markets and investments. He writes the daily “Short View” column with a related daily video on FT.com, the “Long View” column, which appears every Saturday and which he will continue to write, and numerous columns for the FT’s special supplements.

Financial Times editor Lionel Barber commented: “John has developed Short View into one of the FT’s most popular columns. He brings a wealth of experience to Lex and will be instrumental in the next phase of its development.”

Lex, the flagship daily opinion column that fills the back page of the FT and which is available to premium subscribers online, first appeared in 1945. Lex has columnists stationed in New York, London and Hong Kong.

Authers will join the Lex column’s distinguished editor alumni, which includes former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson, former Barclays Bank CEO Martin Taylor and the current director general of the Confederation of British Industry Richard Lambert.

Authers joined the Financial Times in 1990 and during his career has served as its US markets editor, Mexico City bureau chief, US banking correspondent, personal finance correspondent, education and local government correspondent and “On Wall Street” columnist.