WSJ names Johnson its speed & trending coverage chief

Wall Street Journal editor in chief Matt Murray and chief news editor Jason Anders sent out the following on Thursday:

Dear All,

We’re delighted to share the news that Kimberly Johnson is named Speed & Trending Coverage Chief of The Wall Street Journal, taking on a key leadership role at the center of the newsroom.

As we said last month, this new team is central to our efforts to grow audience and deepen engagement. Kimberly will build and lead a high-metabolism team charged with being the first word on many of the most important stories of the day, as well as weighing in on a wide range of trending stories. We’re staffing the desk with reporting, editing, visuals and SEO expertise, and have a number of open positions posted at WSJ.jobs. Kimberly will work closely with Hub editors, coverage chiefs and colleagues across the newsroom.

Kimberly is a natural leader for this important role. Her strong news judgment, record of innovation and dedication to high standards have guided her tenure as Professional Products Editor, where she has expanded and strengthened our editorial offerings for business and finance professionals. Under Kimberly’s leadership, we have launched three new verticals including WSJ Pro Artificial Intelligence, The Experience Report and WSJ Pro Sustainable Business, while deepening our 10 existing products and growing our reach. Kimberly also led the project exploring the legacy of the Tulsa Race Massacre and its economic reverberations a century later.

Kimberly joined The Wall Street Journal in 2014 as news editor for CFO Journal. She previously covered financial activity in sub-Saharan Africa for various publications including Mergermarket, the Financial Times, Global Post and Africa Report. Before moving overseas, Kimberly wrote about the auto industry for the Associated Press in Detroit, where she covered the bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler. She has also had stints at the Denver Post, New Haven Register, Boston Globe and CNN.

Kimberly is a native of Flushing, Queens, and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in journalism from Boston University. She and her wife live on the Upper West Side.

Kimberly will report to Jason, and will assume her new role August 2. Prabha Natarajan will serve as interim editor of WSJ Pro, which remains a central part of our efforts to connect with our growing audience.

Please join us in congratulating Kimberly.