Quartz names Bell its editor in chief

Quartz announced Thursday the appointment of Katherine Bell as editor-in-chief.

She will start Jan. 6.

Bell most recently served as editor-in-chief of Barron’s and previously the top digital editor at Harvard Business Review. She will be just the second editor-in-chief of Quartz, succeeding Kevin Delaney, who stepped down in October and is a senior advisor to Quartz.

“Katherine is a fantastic journalist with a sharp eye for the most important business stories of our day, a brilliant thinker on digital media, and an inspirational newsroom leader,” said Zach Seward, CEO of Quartz, in a statement. “She knows Quartz well, shares an enthusiasm for our coverage of the global economy, and is strongly committed to approaching business journalism in new ways. I couldn’t be more excited to welcome her to Quartz.”

Added Bell, “I’ve been a Quartz reader since the moment it launched, and I’ve never stopped being impressed by the ambition and creativity of its journalism. Quartz’s reporters and editors are relentlessly curious, exceptionally good at making sense out of complexity, and committed to a truly global view — all of which are more necessary now than ever. Quartz is inventing a new and indispensable kind of business journalism, and I’m thrilled to be part of its next chapter.”

During her time leading Barron’s, Bell accelerated the nearly 100-year old magazine’s digital transformation, including the integration of newsroom operations, a redesign of Barrons.com, the launch of podcasts and an award-winning newsletter, and expanded coverage in multiple sectors. Barron’s also enjoyed record readership during her tenure. At HBR, she helped to grow the magazine’s global digital audience and shift its focus to digital subscriptions.

Bell joins Quartz at a time when the company is focused on building its membership business, which grew to more than 10,000 members in its first year. She will work closely with executive editor Xana Antunes and managing editor Kira Bindrim to drive Quartz’s distinctive coverage of the industries and forces transforming the new global economy.

Over the past few months, the business news organization has embarked on a series of initiatives to expand its global offerings and put members at the heart of Quartz, including a new global home page and redesigned apps; new editions for readers in the UK and India; and the creation of an investigative reporting team.