Michelle Gunn appointed editor of The Australian

News Corp has announced senior leadership changes at The Australian including the appointment of Michelle Gunn as editor.

The new editor of The Australian, Michelle Gunn. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

News Corp has announced senior leadership changes at The Australian including the appointment of Michelle Gunn as editor.

Gunn takes the position after having been editor of The Weekend Australian since 2012. She takes the place of John Lehmann, who has taken up a new position of commercial director and managing editor of The Australian.

Managing editor Helen Trinca will become associate editor of The Australian.

News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller announced the appointments on Friday afternoon.

“Over three decades in senior roles at The Australian, Michelle has acquired a deep understanding and insight into The Australian’s audience, the issues they care about, and the paper’s unique position leading the agenda on the nation’s debates,” Mr Miller said.

“There isn’t a person in Australia more qualified to edit The Australian at such an important time in its history.”

The Australian’s editor-in-chief Chris Dore paid tribute to Lehmann who completes four years of daily leadership at The Australian, calling it “one of the toughest jobs’’ in Australian journalism.

“John has done an exceptional job over the past four years and is ideally placed to take on this strategically important new role as we grow consumer revenue streams and subscriptions and explore new commercial-led innovations and content products,” Dore said.

Gunn said it was an “incredibly important” time to take the role of editor of the national broadsheet as the country undergoes serious social and economic reform in the coming months and years while it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gunn also becomes the first female editor of The Australian and maintains her role as The Weekend Australian editor.

“I am thrilled to be taking on the role of editor at such a critical time, as Australia remakes itself in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Gunn said.

“The Australian has an important role to play in this period of recovery and reconstruction, giving voice to the aspirations of people across the country and making the arguments for growth and prosperity.’’

As well as becoming Commercial Director of The Australian, Lehmann is also replacing Trinca as managing editor who will remain at The Australian as Deal editor and Associate Editor.

“Helen, like Michelle and John, has been a member of The Australian family for many years and I’m pleased she will continue to provide guidance and inspiration to our journalists,” Dore said.