David Pilling

Headshot+-+Pilling%2C+David.jpg

Associate Editor & Africa Editor, Financial Times

As Asia Editor and the FT’s Tokyo Bureau Chief, David became known for his coverage of business, economics and politics in China, India, Japan and Asia more generally. He now adds close-up knowledge of Africa, with a particular emphasis on Nigeria and South Africa and some of the continent’s more promising economies.

With some twenty-five years of journalistic experience, David shares his insights on economics, politics, culture and development across Asia.

David crystallised his experience living and working in Japan in a widely acclaimed book about the country’s social and economic resilience: Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival.

David has had a distinguished career at the FT as a foreign correspondent, senior editor, and columnist, starting in 1990.

In his latest book, ‘The Growth Delusion: Why economists are getting it wrong and what we can do about it’ (2018), David explores the pitfalls of how we measure our economy and how to correct them. The book has been nominated for the prestigious Orwell Prize for Political writing.

David was named Best Commentator by the Society of Publishers in Asia for his weekly column in 2011.