Indian journalist Mitali Mukherjee named Director of the Reuters Institute

Indian journalist Mitali Mukherjee has been appointed Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Mukherjee, who has been Acting Director since Rasmus Nielsen stepped down last October, was selected in an open and independent process that concluded in late March. 

Her appointment was announced earlier today by Alan Rusbridger, Chair of the Institute’s Steering Committee, and Professor David Doyle, Head of the Department of Politics and International Relations of the University of Oxford, where the Reuters Institute is based. Mukherjee will take up her new post immediately. 

Mukherjee has led our Journalist Programmes since September 2022 and represented the Institute in conferences and events around the world. Under her leadership, the Institute has added new sponsors to our flagship Fellowship Programme and secured funding for the Oxford Climate Journalism Network, an initiative that supports hundreds of journalists across beats and platforms to improve the quality, understanding and impact of climate coverage around the world. 

Mukherjee is a political economy journalist with more than two decades of experience in TV, print and digital journalism. She was a Chevening fellow for the South Asia Journalism Fellowship 2020, a Raisina Asian Forum for Global Governance Young Fellow 2019 and a 2017 fellow of the Australia India Youth Dialogue. In 2020, she was nominated for the prestigious Red Ink Awards in India for two of her business stories.

Over the course of her journalistic career, Mitali has been Consulting Business Editor at The Wire and Mint. Prior to that she was Markets Editor at CNBC TV 18 and Prime Time Anchor at TV Today and Doordarshan. She has been a Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) where she led Gender Initiatives for the organisation. Mitali has also co-founded two start-ups that focused on civil society and financial literacy. 

Responding to the appointment, Mitali Mukherjee said: “I am honoured to take on the role of Director at the Reuters Institute and to be leading an exceptional team of colleagues. Our core mission is to explore the future of journalism worldwide through debate, engagement, and research, and I am looking forward to working with the Department of Politics and International Relations, the Thomson Reuters Foundation and industry partners to build on our achievements and mission. In a time of unpredictability and shift across the world, we are, and will remain, international in our reach and impact.”

Announcing the appointment, our Steering Committee’s Chair Alan Rusbridger said: “I’m thrilled that Mitali will succeed Rasmus Nielsen as Director. She has been outstanding in her two terms as acting director and she has a clear and compelling vision for the next stage. The Reuters Institute was always intended to be a bridge between academic research into the future of journalism and the profession itself. Her directorship comes at a time of both great danger and extraordinary transformation.  The Institute will have a unique role to play in this transformation and couldn’t be in better hands.”

Professor David Doyle, Head of the Department of Politics and International Relations of the University of Oxford, said: “The Department is delighted that Mitali will be the new Director. Mitali has an incredibly exciting vision for the Institute and I am looking forward to working with her to achieve this vision. I have no doubt that Mitali will build on the tremendous success of the Institute and take it to new heights as the new Director.”

The Reuters Institute receives core funding from the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Antonio Zappulla, the Foundation’s CEO, said: “I want to congratulate Mitali on securing the leadership of one of the world’s most powerful and respected research centres working to propel the future of journalism. I am looking forward to collaborating around our shared mission of driving journalism excellence and strengthening the resilience of independent media, particularly in an era where the industry faces unprecedented challenges, yet the role of independent journalism has never been more urgent. I am excited to see how Mitali will take the Institute to new heights.”

Michael Dixon, Principal of Green Templeton College, the college home of our Journalist Fellows and other Institute members, said: “Our community is delighted that Mitali has been appointed as the new Director. Since she joined, she has been a popular and active member of Green Templeton College and a strong proponent of collaboration between the Institute and the college. We look forward to building on this in the future.”

Mukherjee will succeed Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, who was the Institute’s Director from 2018 to 2024. Under Nielsen’s leadership, the Institute produced award-winning, widely cited and increasingly global academic research, and launched new work focused on climate change, diversity in news leadership, and artificial intelligence. 

Responding to Mukerjee’s appointment, Nielsen said: “Mitali has an exceptional combination of journalistic integrity, serious engagement with research, and a truly international outlook. As a person, she brings genuine curiosity, a diplomatic touch, and true grit to the role. She is already a cornerstone of the global community that makes the Institute what it is and will be an outstanding Director in leading its future development.”

For more information or interview requests, contact Eduardo Suárez at eduardo.suarez@politics.ox.ac.uk or Matthew Leake at matthew.leake@politics.ox.ac.uk