Chris Johnston
The Financial Times has appointed veteran business journalist Chris Johnston as Asia companies and markets news editor, reinforcing the publication’s focus on corporate and financial coverage across the region from its Hong Kong newsroom.
Johnston moves into the role after serving in London as assistant companies news editor and writer of the FT’s City Bulletin, a widely read markets and corporate news briefing. In his new position, he will oversee commissioning and editing of corporate and markets coverage from reporters across the FT’s global newsroom, with a particular focus on Asia’s increasingly influential role in international finance and business.
The appointment comes as global financial news organizations continue expanding senior editorial leadership in Asia amid heightened investor attention on China, regional capital markets, supply-chain shifts and geopolitical tensions affecting multinational companies.
Before joining the Financial Times, Johnston was senior editor for weekdays at Business Insider, where he helped oversee digital business coverage during a period of aggressive audience growth and newsroom expansion. Earlier roles included digital business editor at The Telegraph and reporting and editing positions at both The Guardian and BBC News.
Johnston also spent more than a decade at The Times in London, where he held roles including news editor and business news editor. His background spans both traditional print newsroom leadership and digital-first business journalism, experience increasingly valued by global financial publications balancing subscription growth with fast-moving digital coverage demands.
His career also includes reporting work for TES, formerly known as the Times Educational Supplement and Times Higher Education Supplement.
The move reflects the continued strategic importance of Hong Kong as a regional base for international financial media organizations despite broader shifts in global newsroom structures and increasing competition from Singapore and other Asian financial centers.
The Financial Times has maintained significant editorial investment in Asia as international investors and multinational corporations seek deeper reporting on regional markets, corporate governance, trade policy and economic developments. Asia-focused business coverage has become increasingly central to global financial journalism as supply chains, capital flows and geopolitical risk become more interconnected.
Johnston graduated from Queensland University of Technology in Australia.
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