Jonathan Ford back at Financial Times as chief leader writer

Jonathan Ford is returning to the Financial Times as chief leader writer just weeks after officially leaving Reuters. Ford was commentary editor at Reuters but left the company late last year after it bought Breakingviews , the financial website he helped to launch ten years ago. He joined Reuters to oversee a rival financial commentary unit. Ford set up Breakingviews in 2000 with another former FT journalist, Hugo Dixon, who was installed as the head of the newly launched Reuters Breakingviews service following Reuters' purchase of the company in October. After leaving Breakingviews in 2007, Ford worked as deputy editor of Prospect magazine and in December 2008 joined Reuters to head its fledgling financial commentary service. Ten months later, the company bought Breakingviews. Before becoming a journalist, Ford worked as an investment banker at Morgan Grenfell. His arrival at the FT – where he worked on the Lex column in the 1990s – has triggered other changes in the paper's senior editorial line-up. David Gardner, previously chief leader writer, will become the FT's international affairs editor, based in London. He replaces Quentin Peel, who takes on the newly created post of chief Berlin correspondent, while Gerrit Wiesmann will move from Frankfurt to Berlin as Berlin correspondent. In his new role, Ford will be responsible for writing and commissioning the FT's editorials, leading a team of four leader writers and reporting to editor Lionel Barber. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".