His appointment follows Alice Fishburn's promotion to become the FT's opinion editor.
Alec Russell, editor of FTWeekend, said, "Matt is an outstanding editor and I am delighted to see him take the helm of our award-winning magazine. FTWeekend is expanding its readership online and in print, and the magazine is at the heart of this success. It has won a string of awards in recent years for its longform journalism and its design. Matt will take it to even greater heights - in print and also on our digital platforms."
Vella added, "The FTWeekend Magazine is exceptional, its journalism ambitious and intelligent yet full of heart. Quality longform storytelling is more crucial than ever, and no newsroom is better equipped to do so globally than the Financial Times. I'm thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to lead such a talented team."
Before joining the FT, Vella spent seven years at Time Inc. in senior editorial roles. Most recently, he was Time Magazine's executive editor responsible for the weekly magazine's editorial direction, overseeing all longform features across departments and guiding Time's transformation into a digital-first publication. He brought in news-making cover profiles, from Tim Cook and Angela Merkel to the cast of Game of Thrones. His leadership of multiplatform projects, such as Time's Opioid Diaries, helped the magazine win American journalism's most prestigious awards, says the FT.
Vella has previously written for Fortune, BusinessWeek, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, among others.
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