Lionel Barber is an author, broadcaster, consultant and former editor of The Financial Times (2005-2020). His latest book is Gambling Man, a biography of Masayoshi Son, the founder and CEO of SoftBank.

At the FT, he led the digital transformation of the newspaper, winning multiple awards for its journalism. He also interviewed many world leaders including Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Narendra Modi. 

During his editorship, Lionel served as a trustee and latterly as chairman of the Tate (2011-2021) and as a trustee of the Carnegie Corporation of New York (2014-23). 

In his current roles, he is a senior adviser to Allen & Co in New York and a member of the international advisory board of Chubb, the global insurance company, and a member of the Global Council of the I-House,Asia Pacific Initiative in Tokyo. 

He is co-host of Media Confidential, along with former editor of the Guardian Alan Rusbridger, now editor of Prospect magazine. He also serves as chairman of the Wincott foundation and a trustee of the Marjorie Dean Foundation, each promoting quality business and financial journalism in the UK. .  

Lionel is the recipient of the Legion d’Honneur and the Stella d’Italia in recognition of his lifetime achievements in journalism.