Lionel Barber

Early life and career

Barber was born on 18 January 1955 to a journalist father. He was educated at Dulwich College, an independent school for boys in Dulwich in South London, and at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, graduating in 1978 with an upper second joint honours degree in German and modern history. He worked for a company in Germany as an interpreter, before being offered a job on the Thomson regional training scheme.

Barber began his career in journalism in 1978 as a reporter for The Scotsman. In 1981, after being named Young Journalist of the Year in the British Press Awards, he became a business correspondent at The Sunday Times, having been interviewed by its editor Frank Giles.

By 1982 he was the Enterprising Britain correspondent (a title used to denote the position that became known as industrial correspondent). The co-writer of several books, his works include a history of Reuters news agency (The Price of Truth, 1985) and the Westland affair (Not with Honour, 1986).

At the ''Financial Times''

Barber joined the Financial Times in 1985. His positions at the paper included Washington correspondent and US editor (1986–1992), Brussels bureau chief (1992–1998), and news editor (1998–2000). He was formerly the editor of the FT Continental European edition (2000–2002), during which he briefed US president George W. Bush ahead of his first trip to Europe.

In November 2005, he was appointed editor of the Financial Times, having believed the newspaper was in need of a different editor. In his capacity as editor, Barber interviewed figures including Barack Obama, Wen Jiabao, Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Angela Merkel, David Cameron and Manmohan Singh.

In July 2012, Barber was accused of intimidating and threatening a member of staff at the Financial Times. Steve Lodge, who worked as a personal finance writer at the newspaper, was brought before a disciplinary panel following an incident in which the Financial Times claimed demonstrated he "had a problem working for women". Barber was accused of "losing his temper and raising his voice" in a manner that breached the newspaper's procedures.

In October 2018, he said it was "time for a revolution" at the newspaper after sharing a reader's letter that criticised it for a "lack of diversity" among its columnists. Barber stepped down from the role on 17 January 2020 after 14 years as editor, and was succeeded by Roula Khalaf. Barber's 14 year tenure made him the second longest-serving editor in the FTs history, after Sir Gordon Newton.

In 2019, Barber received pay and pension benefits worth £1.92 million, according to accounts published at Companies House. This led to a halt in pay negotiations.

After the ''Financial Times''

In 2020, Barber began presenting What Next?, an interview podcast for LBC.

Barber published a memoir covering his editorship of the FT in 2020, entitled The Powerful and the Damned: Private Diaries in Turbulent Times.

In 2021, Barber joined a consortium of 9 other investors, that included former BBC Director-General and The New York Times Company chief executive Mark Thompson, to purchase The New European newspaper for an undisclosed sum.

Since 2023, Barber has presented Prospect (magazine)'s weekly podcast, Media Confidential, with Alan Rusbridger.

In 2024, Barber's biography of Masayoshi Son, Gambling Man, was published by Penguin.

Awards and recognition

Barber has received a number of awards and distinctions for his journalistic work.

• In 1981, he was named Young Journalist of the Year in the British Press Awards. In 1998, he was named one of the 101 most influential Europeans by Le Nouvel Observateur.
• In 1985, he was the Laurence Stern fellow at The Washington Post. In 1992, he was a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, working under Nelson Polsby at the Institute of Governmental Studies. In 1996, he was a visiting fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre at the European University Institute in Florence.
• In 2009, Barber was awarded the St George Society medal of honour for his contribution to journalism in the transatlantic community. In February 2011, he was appointed to the board of trustees at The Tate. He also serves on the board of trustees of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
• In 2016, he was made a Chevalier (knight) in the French Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur for his "contribution to high-quality journalism, and the Financial Times positive role in the European debate".
• In 2020, Barber received the Gerald Loeb Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in business journalism.

Personal life

Barber's wife, Victoria Greenwood, is a criminologist. Barber has a daughter and a son, born in Washington, D.C. in 1988 and 1990. , he lives in London. He is fluent in French and German.

Bibliography

References

References

1. Who's Who
2. (31 October 2020). "The Powerful and the Damned by Lionel Barber review – cosying up to power?". The Guardian.
3. Morris, Sophie. (7 January 2008). "Lionel Barber: My Life in Media".
4. (19 October 2017). "Lionel Barber - Former Editor, Financial Times". Media Masters.
5. "Lionel Barber". Financial Times.
6. (February 2006). "New editor at the FINANCIAL TIMES". Press Business.
7. "Lionel Barber {{!}} Speaking Fee & Booking Agent – Chartwell".
8. Rushton, Katherine. (24 July 2012). "FT editor Lionel Barber 'threatened' sacked staff member, court hears". The Telegraph.
9. Mayhew, Freddy. (16 October 2018). "'Time for a revolution' says FT editor Lionel Barber as he publishes letter criticising 'lack of diversity' among paper's columnists". Press Gazette.
10. Mayhew, Freddy. "Lionel Barber says FT staff are 'family' in speech on last day as editor". Press Gazette.
11. Ponsford, Dominic. (18 December 2020). "FT journalists halt pay talks after news former editor Lionel Barber was paid £1.92m in 2019". Press Gazette.
12. "Introducing 'What Next?' with Lionel Barber".
13. (5 November 2020). "Lionel Barber's chronicle of his time as FT editor". Financial Times.
14. (31 October 2020). "The Powerful and the Damned by Lionel Barber review – cosying up to power?". The Guardian.
15. (1 February 2021). "Former FT editor and BBC chief among investors to buy The New European". Financial Times.
16. "Media Confidential".
17. "Introducing our new podcast: Media Confidential".
18. "Gambling Man by Lionel Barber".
19. "Lionel Barber – Speakers for Schools".
20. "Lionel Barber | Financial Times".
21. Sweney, Mark. (8 August 2016). "FT editor to be honoured by France for 'positive role' in EU debate". The Guardian.
22. Daillak, Jonathan. (October 6, 2020). "2020 Gerald Loeb Award Finalists, Career Achievement Honorees and Date of Virtual Awards Event Announced by UCLA Anderson". UCLA Anderson School of Management.
23. (2 May 2005). "This British Invader Is Planning On an Extended Stateside Stay".
24. A’Lee Frost, Amber. (22 July 2019). "Lionel Barber on his tenure as Financial Times editor, why his paper appeals to millennials, and the correct journalistic response to Trump and Brexit".