The Times has today announced the appointment of James Harding as Business and City Editor.

Commenting on the appointment, Robert Thomson, editor of The Times said: "James is one of the most outstanding journalists of his generation and his breadth of experience in reporting on international business and policy issues is second to none. He will oversee a Times business team which is by far the best on Fleet Street and, rightly, has growing international ambitions, both in print and online."

James Harding was the Washington Bureau chief for the Financial Times from 2002 to 2005, when he was central to that paper's expansion in North America, and from 1999 to 2002 he was Media Editor, reporting from around the world on the dramatic developments in the creation and delivery of content. Prior to that, he opened the FT's bureau in Shanghai, where he wrote about the country's profound economic and social changes from 1996 to 1999. He speaks Japanese, Chinese, French and German.

James Harding said: "I have loved working at the FT and felt very lucky to have been part of a great newspaper's continuing global expansion, but when you are asked to edit the business pages of The Times, it is an offer you can't refuse. The business pages of The Times perform a pivotal role in the UK and I am looking forward to joining such a highly-regarded team."

According to the respected British Business Survey, The Times is the UK's leading business paper with 95 per cent more business readers than the FT and 68 per cent more than The Daily Telegraph. The Times has a growing international audience for its business coverage. In July 2005, The Times launched an international edition, which is now printed in France, Belgium and Spain, and earlier this year Times Online launched a global edition homepage. The website currently has more than 8.1 million unique monthly users - more than 5 million of these users come from outside the UK.

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