Alessandra Galloni to lead Reuters News

One of the world’s oldest and most prestigious newsrooms will be led by a female editor for the first time.

Alessandra Galloni will be the next editor of Reuters News, the company announced on Monday.

Galloni will succeed Stephen Adler, who said in January that he planned to step down in April.

Reuters conducted what it called an “extensive global search” and selected Galloni, an eight-year veteran of Reuters who previously worked at the Wall Street Journal.

She is currently the global managing editor, one of Adler’s top lieutenants. Adler said in a tweet that he is “thrilled to be passing the baton to a brilliant editor and a great colleague.”

Galloni will take over next Monday.

“For 170 years, Reuters has set the standard for independent, trusted and global reporting,” she said in a statement. “It is an honor to lead a world-class newsroom full of talented, dedicated and inspiring journalists.”

Reuters News is a well-known wire service that provides financial news as well as a wide array of other coverage. It is a unit of Thomson Reuters Corp, a media conglomerate with other divisions that cater to lawyers, corporations, and accountants.

Steve Hasker, the CEO of Thomson Reuters, said in Monday’s announcement that “the world sorely needs independent, unbiased journalism,” and that “we take seriously the need to push boundaries for all of our customers. Alessandra will do just that.”

Several other prominent news operations are also in the midst of leadership transitions, including the Washington Post, ABC News, and the Los Angeles Times.