WSJ names new M&A reporter, new wealth reporter

Wall Street Journal financial editor Francesco Guerrera sent out the following staff announcement:

We are delighted to announce two new appointments in our Finance and Markets Group.

Anupreeta Das, one of the most formidable mergers and acquisitions reporters the WSJ has ever had, will move to a new beat focused on Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and wealthy investors and entrepreneurs.

In her three years at The Journal,Preeta and her colleagues broke big M&A scoops, including NYSE Euronext’s planned $8.2 billion sale to ICE, Express Scripts’ $29 billion deal for Medco and Microsoft’s $8.5 billion purchase of Skype. Preeta also played a leading role in the Journal’s coverage of Facebook’s IPO as well as turmoil in the investment-banking business. Preeta joined the Journal from Reuters. She has received two breaking news awards from the Society of Business Editors and Writers for her mergers coverage, and also won a 2006 Foreign Press Association award.

To replace Preeta, we are thrilled to announce the appointment of Dana Mattioli. Dana has already shown her deal chops in her current role as the Journal’s retail and apparel reporter. Sometimes teaming with M&A group, sometimes solo, she has produced a string of Page One leders and scoops on the troubles at Kodak and J.C. Penney as well as the M&A exploits of various retailers. She has also done a series of stories about online data collection practices by companies like Orbitz. Before covering retail, Dana covered companies and CEOs for the management group. She started at the Journal in 2006 covering careers and small business.

Dana will work closely with Sharon Terlep, our formidable M&A reporter, and report to Jamie Heller, our M&A editor, and Dana Cimilluca, our newly-appointed deputy M&A editor.

Please join us in wishing Preeta and Dana well in her future roles.