An experienced print and digital editor, Emily will be focusing on the The Standard’s move to becoming a digital first news organisation alongside the continuation of the printed daily edition.
Emily Sheffield began her career as a graduate news trainee at the Guardian newspaper, before spending five years at The Evening Standard for Editor Max Hastings. She became the Deputy Editor of British Vogue in 2005. In 2018, returning to the Standard as a columnist, she also launched the female led digital news brand ThisMuchIKnow, winning a Nesta government grant for Future News Innovation, where she will remain Director and Founder.
Evgeny Lebedev, owner of The Evening Standard, said, "I am delighted to announce the appointment of Emily Sheffield as Editor of the Evening Standard. The last few months have been a very tough time for this city and for this paper. But we look forward to a bright future with a brilliant new editor who has read, written and breathed the Evening Standard for 20 years.
“I am also very pleased that after more than three years as an outstanding editor, George Osborne will become Editor-in-Chief. He will continue to champion the Standard and its journalism.”
On her appointment, Emily Sheffield, new Editor of The Evening Standard, said, “The Evening Standard has been a core part of my daily life ever since I moved to London aged 18 and I spent five formative years with the paper as a young journalist during my twenties, returning two years ago as a columnist under George’s impressive leadership.
“The newspaper was delivered every day during this pandemic, because of the determined efforts of George, his deputy Charlotte Ross and the team, ensuring continuity for Londoners at a time of unparalleled uncertainty. And demonstrating the commitment at the heart of The Standard in delivering for its community. The proprietor Evgeny Lebedev has also worked tirelessly with the Standard raising £6.5 million for London’s most vulnerable during this crisis.
“A world-famous legacy news brand with both local and global impact, it is a huge honour for me to take on the editorship at such a key point in the Standard’s evolution. The opportunities are immense in the digital news sphere and I have spent the last two years focusing on how we are able to innovate and drive engagement around the news, while also remaining firmly attached to the value of printed media - the highly influential Standard newsprint edition will be continuing as a key part of the London landscape.”
George Osborne, Editor-in-Chief of The Evening Standard, added, “I’ve had a wonderful time editing the Evening Standard over these last three incredible news-packed years. My goal was to make us a ‘must read’ paper - provoking, campaigning, entertaining and informing in equal measure. Then came the pandemic, the biggest news story of my lifetime - and the greatest crisis in the Evening Standard’s two-hundred year history. Could the paper that survived the Blitz keep going when our streets were locked down? The answer was yes. Not a single edition was missed – thanks to the heroic efforts of our brilliant team. Together we’ve kept the Evening Standard alive in its own darkest hour and produced some of our finest journalism. That’s a legacy I’m very proud to be part of.
Now I look forward in my new role to helping Emily as she takes the Standard to the next stage of its journey. She’s one of the most creative, hard-working people I know with a clear vision of the future. It’s going to be very exciting.”
