Deputy editor John Thornhill has been appointed at the FT's innovation editor.

The Financial Times has appointed it's first innovation editor in the form of deputy editor John Thornhill.

Thornhill will look after the comments team to "transform the way the FT commissions, edits and publishes commentary on multiple platforms, and lead efforts to put new technology at the heart of the FT’s journalism, working closely with product development, data, audio, video and audience engagement teams".

Lionel Barber, editor of the FT, said: “John has been an exceptional deputy and I greatly value his qualities as an astute and imaginative colleague. The Financial Times has some of the most authoritative comment on business and current affairs in the world, and as innovation editor John will have the important task of leading development of the next generation of digital comment.”

Roula Khalaf, currently foreign editor, will take over Thornhill's job as deputy editor.

Barber said of Roula's promotion: “Roula has masterfully lead a more than 100-strong team of foreign correspondents to cover some of the biggest recent stories in global governance. As deputy editor she will continue to drive the FT’s agenda-setting, borderless journalism at a significant time of growth in our digital presence and readership.”

Thornhill joined the FT as a graduate trainee, and has been with the newspaper for 27 years while Khalaf joined in 1995 from Forbes magazine, New York.