AFR editor Michael Stutchbury to step down with James Chessell to take on top job

Nine Entertainment’s business publication The Australian Financial Review has announced its new editor-in-chief after veteran Michael Stutchbury steps down.

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton with the editor-in-chief of the AFR. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Nine Entertainment’s business publication The Australian Financial Review is set for a shake up after editor-in-chief Michael Stutchbury announced he would step down from his role after 13 years.

Stutchbury, the longest-serving AFR editor or editor-in-chief in the paper’s seven decade history, informed staff on Monday about his plan to depart the role.

He will remain at the paper as editor-at-large in 2025.

The changes also come as Nine faces potential industrial action by staff this week after failing to strike a new enterprise bargaining agreement and recently announcing up to 200 job losses at the company.

The 67-year-old will be replaced by Nine’s former publishing boss James Chessell, who abruptly quit his role in December to become a partner at consultancy firm Bespoke Approach.

Tory Maguire – who replaced James Chessell as publishing boss – on Monday thanked Stutchbury for his extensive work at the publication.

“Michael Stutchbury’s legacy at the AFR is immense, having led the newsroom through a period of ever-accelerating change in the way audiences consume and pay for journalism,” Maguire said.

“He is a giant of Australian journalism.”

New AFR editor-in-chief James Chessell.

Stutchbury, who was also editor at The Australian for more than five years, said despite the AFR facing challenges it had focused much more on subscribers in recent years.

“As the team has managed the shift out of print, the masthead has never had more paying subscribers,” he said.

“It is not easy to walk away from the privilege of leading a newsroom that has delivered so much.

“But, after 13 full-on years, now is the right time for someone with fresh energy and new ideas to lead the Financial Review’s next phase of growth.”

Stutchbury will finish as editor-in-chief on August 9 and Chessell will begin on August 12.

Chessell, who has previously been executive editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, has also worked at The Australian during his journalism career.

“I’m very excited about taking over from Stutch who is the best editor I’ve worked for bar none,” Chessell said.

“The current media landscape means the work is not without its complications but there is no better editorial team to face up to these challenges than the Financial Review newsroom.

“I’m also very excited to be reunited with Tory and the Nine Publishing team.”

Originally published as AFR editor Michael Stutchbury to step down with James Chessell to take on top job