Richard John Micklethwait (born 11 August 1962)[1] is a British journalist who is the editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News, a position he has held since February 2015.[2] He was previously the editor-in-chief of The Economist from 2006 to 2015.
Micklethwait was born in 1962, in London, and was educated at Ampleforth College (an independent school) and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he studied history.
Micklethwait worked for Chase Manhattan Bank for two years and joined The Economist in 1987. Prior to becoming editor-in-chief, he was U.S. editor of the publication and ran the New York Bureau for two years. Before that, he edited the Business Section of the newspaper for four years. Micklethwait's other roles have included setting up an office in Los Angeles for The Economist, where he worked from 1990 to 1993. He has covered business and politics from the United States, Latin America, Continental Europe, Southern Africa, and Asia.
Appointed as editor-in-chief in March 2006, the first issue of The Economist published under his editorship was released on 7 April 2006. He was named Editors' Editor by the British Society of Magazine Editors in 2010.[3] Micklethwait has frequently appeared on CNN, ABC News, BBC, C-SPAN, PBS and NPR.
In 2015, Micklethwait was appointed as a Trustee of the British Museum.[4] He was also a delegate, along with two colleagues, at the 2010 Bilderberg Conference held in Spain. This group consists of an assembly of notable politicians, industrialists and financiers who meet annually to discuss issues on a non-disclosure basis.
Micklethwait was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to journalism and economics.
In November 2019, Micklethwait ordered his staff not to investigate their boss, Michael Bloomberg (nor any other Democratic candidates) during Bloomberg's presidential campaign.[5]
In October 2024, Micklethwait interviewed President elect Donald Trump at the Economic Club of Chicago as Bloomberg
In September 2024, Micklethwait quietly married actress Kristin Scott Thomas after a five-year romance.[7]
Micklethwait is the co-author of several books with Adrian Wooldridge, including:
A Study of Conservatism in America (2004)