John Micklethwait
Richard John Micklethwait | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 11, 1962 London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, editor-in-chief |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Known for | Editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News and The Economist |
| Notable work | Co-author of several business books including The Witch Doctors, A Future Perfect, The Company, The Right Nation, God is Back, The Fourth Revolution, The Wake-Up Call |
Richard John Micklethwait CBE (born 11 August 1962) is a British journalist who has held the position of editor-in-chief at Bloomberg News since February 2015. Prior to this role, he was the editor-in-chief of The Economist from 2006 until 2015.
Early life
Micklethwait was born in London and received his education at Ampleforth College followed by Magdalen College, Oxford, where he pursued studies in history.
Career
His professional journey started with a two-year tenure at Chase Manhattan Bank before he joined The Economist in 1987. During his time there, he took on roles including U.S. editor and head of the New York Bureau. Between 1990 and 1993, he launched the Los Angeles office and also edited the Business Section for four years. His journalistic work spanned business and political topics across regions such as the United States, Latin America, Europe, Southern Africa, and Asia.
Micklethwait was appointed as editor-in-chief in March 2006, with his inaugural issue released on 7 April that year. In 2010, he was honored as Editors' Editor by the British Society of Magazine Editors. His media appearances include major outlets like CNN, ABC News, BBC, C-SPAN, PBS, and NPR.
In 2015, he joined the board of Trustees at the British Museum. He also participated in the 2010 annual private gathering known as the Bilderberg Conference, which convenes political and business leaders.
For his contributions to journalism and economics, Micklethwait was awarded the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours.
During Michael Bloomberg's 2020 presidential bid, Micklethwait instructed Bloomberg News journalists not to investigate Bloomberg or other Democratic candidates in November 2019.
As Bloomberg's chief editor, Micklethwait conducted an interview with President-elect Donald Trump at the Economic Club of Chicago in October 2024.
Personal life
In September 2024, following a relationship lasting five years, Micklethwait married actress Kristin Scott Thomas.
Bibliography
Together with Adrian Wooldridge, Micklethwait has co-written several books centered on business topics, including:
- The Witch Doctors: Making Sense of the Management Gurus (1996)
- A Future Perfect: the Challenge and Hidden Promise of Globalisation (2000)
- The Company—A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea (2003)
- The Right Nation: A Study of Conservatism in America (2004)
- God is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith Is Changing the World (2009)
- The Fourth Revolution: The Global Race To Reinvent The State (2014)
- The Wake-Up Call: Why the Pandemic has Exposed the Weakness of the West, and How to Fix It (2020)
External links
- Profile at The Economist
- Inside The Economist Magazine – Interview at Stanford Hoover Institution
- Profile from The Independent
- Conversations With History – UC Berkeley interview
- Biography from London Speaker Bureau
- Interview on OpenDemocracy.net
- Biography from Random House
- Interview on The Alligator Online