Chris Blackhurst (born 24 December 1959) is a strategic communications advisor and commentator, who is a former editor of The Independent.
For four years, he was a director of CT Partners, the international strategic communications, campaigning, and advisory firm. He also writes a column for independent.co.uk. He contributes to numerous other magazines and publications, as well as making frequent appearances on TV and Radio, and making public speeches.
From 2013 he was Group Content Director of the four titles overseen by Evgeny Lebedev.
He was a newspaper columnist for the Evening Standard and Independent, and presenter of Headline Interview on London Live TV.
He’s received several awards for his journalism. Blackhurst was London Press Club’s Business Journalist of the Year, 2011.
Early life and education
Born in Barrow-in-Furness, Blackhurst was educated at Barrow Grammar School for Boys, after which he went on to study law at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.
[Roy Greenslade, " Simon Kelner replaced after 13 years as editor of the Independent", The Guardian, 1 July 2011] He has said that his school instilled self-confidence in him and has argued for the restoration of grammar schools.
Life and career
Blackhurst after graduation joined the staff of a legal magazine, International Financial Law Review. He moved to Business magazine, then to
Fleet Street, where he joined
The Sunday Times, working on the Business section, then the Insight investigations team. In 1990 he became City Editor of the
Sunday Express, moving to
The Independent on Sunday in 1992 as their Senior Business Writer, and then to
The Independent in 1993 as Westminster Correspondent. He became Deputy Editor of
The Independent on Sunday and
The Independent then followed editor
Rosie Boycott to the
Daily Express in 1998, as Deputy Editor.
[Rachel Baird "Media in Brief: Change of leader for Express", Press Gazette, 1 May 1998] From 2002, Blackhurst edited the City Pages of the
Evening Standard, until he was appointed Editor of
The Independent in 2011.
[James Robinson "Independent return: Chris Blackhurst's career in profile", The Guardian, 1 July 2011]
He became Group Content Director of the four titles overseen by Evgeny Lebedev in June 2013.[Turvill, William. "Amol Rajan is made editor of The Independent as Chris Blackhurst becomes group content director", Press Gazette, 17 June 2013]
