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The Financial Times announced Jon Slade as new CEO for almost 20 years in the first change in Media Group’s leadership.
Slade, who has been Chief Executive at FT since 2014, will take over from John Ridding in the summer. John Ridding has been leading publishers since 2006.
Announced the appointment to Okada Naoshima, chairman and chief executive of Nikkei, in a memo, Slade said he “has both leadership skills and commercial insight to bring the FT Group to new heights.”
In his current role, Slade already oversees companies that are responsible for three-quarters of the FT Group’s annual revenue, including Global Advertising, Print Cycle, Consultants and Subscriptions.
During his tenure, FT’s advertising business returned to growth despite a decline in the wider sector. FT revenue and overall readership numbers have increased annually over the past decade.
The 51-year-old will lead the next phase of digital growth in FT at the time of artificial intelligence disruption. FT generates two-thirds of your revenue from online subscriptions and advertising.
FT is one of the first global media groups to enter into agreements to license content to OpenAI for the development of AI models, and works with regulators to support copyright laws.
Okada said that Slade’s experience made him understand the area “where there are rich areas for future growth.”
“Importantly, he understood the interface between business and technology and was at the forefront of efforts to leverage profits and mitigate the risks posed by generated AI,” he said.
Slade said: We look forward to tackling the opportunities and challenges ahead in our rapidly changing landscape. ”
Before taking over FT’s commercial operations in 2014 and joining the Management Committee, Slade played a variety of roles within the group’s advertising business.
More recently, he oversees the expansion of the group’s consulting business, FT Strategies.
Last year, FT reported revenue of £540 million, just over £500 million in 2023. The London-based group has 2.5 million global audiences, including 1.5 million online and print subscribers and individuals paying for events and FT specialist publications.
