Financial Mail editor, Tim Cohen, has been appointed as editor of Business Day, the Times Media Group has announced. At the same time, the group announced that Sibusiso Ngalwa is the new editor of the Daily Dispatch in East London and Brett Horner takes over as editor of the The Herald and Weekend Post in Port Elizabeth. Rob Rose will now edit the Financial Mail. Rose’s deputy will be Financial Mail investment editor, Sikonathi Mantshantsha.
The changes follow the recent appointment of Bongani Siqoko as editor of Sunday Times and Songezo Zibi’s resignation as editor of Business Day, Times Media said in a statement. Ngalwa replaces Siqoko at the Daily Dispatch and Horner takes over from Heather Robertson who recently stepped down as editor of The Herald.
“Cohen will be overseeing the integration of Times Media’s business news coverage into a single newsroom. He has also been tasked with ensuring transformation and succession for the next phase of leadership at Business Day, Financial Mail and Business Times,” says Andy Gill, managing director of Times Media.
“In this regard, Ron Derby, editor of Sunday Times Business Times, will also be working with Cohen and Rose to drive the physical and digital integration of the planned new business newsroom.”
Times Media said the changes in leadership and key developments within the business portfolio of the media division were the start of a “very exciting year” for the group which was “in the process of reinvigorating all products to ensure that they are positioned for both a contemporary print and increasingly digital future”.
Gill said the group was in the first stages of the “process to redesign our newsrooms and operating model to reflect the modern requirements of a progressive media organisation. This year will see the implementation of our new multi-platform content management system, supporting our digital-first approach to content.”
The group will also be moving from its Rosebank offices, said CEO, Andrew Bonamour. He said all the projects would “very significantly” culminate in the group’s move to “our brand new, fit for purpose offices in Parktown at the end of the year. This world-class space is already under construction. We will go into 2017 in a position to create dynamic, good quality products that inform and entertain our readers and set the South African agenda”.
