People Column

Matthew Winkler is being replaced as editor in chief of Bloomberg News at the beginning of 2015 by John Micklethwait, who has been editor in chief of The Economist since 2006.

A news release issued Dec. 9 by Bloomberg said Winkler will assume the new title of editor in chief emeritus and work on strategic initiatives with Michael R. Bloomberg, who will return to the helm of his eponymous company in 2015 after serving 12 years as mayor of New York. The release also said Winkler will conduct “high-profile interviews of global newsmakers and bringing his insights and expertise to the most important and market-moving stories.”

Winkler, 59, left The Wall Street Journal in 1990 to become founding editor of Bloomberg News, where he built a global news organization with 2,400 reporters and editors in more than 150 bureaus. Winkler, an OPC member, posted his first public comment about the shift on Twitter: “Congratulations to my friend and colleague John Micklethwait. Excited to work with him and start a new chapter @Bloomberg.”

“Hiring Matt Winkler 25 years ago was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Mr. Bloomberg said in the news release. “He has accomplished more than either of us thought possible back then, and thanks to his exceptional leadership, Bloomberg has set a new standard for journalistic excellence. His experience will be enormously beneficial to me as I re-assume full-time leadership of the company.”

Micklethwait, 52, will oversee editorial content across all Bloomberg platforms, from the news posted on its terminals to its newsletters and the articles in Bloomberg Businessweek. He has been with The Economist, which is half owned by Pearson’s Financial Times media group, since 1987 and had previously served as business editor and United States editor. Analysts said he has successfully steered the publication to meet the growing demand for web and mobile content.

“It has been an enormous privilege both to have been the editor of The Economist since 2006 and to have been able to work for 27 years at such a consistently stimulating and collegial place,” Micklethwait said in a statement released by The Economist. “I am extremely confident that The Economist will continue to thrive as an independent liberal voice that echoes around the world.”

The Economist said a new editor to replace Micklethwait is expected to be confirmed by the end of January.

Winkler is a longtime member of the OPC and served on the club’s Board of Governors from 1998 to 2001.