Huffington Post Managing Editor Jimmy Soni will move to New Delhi to help get HuffPost India off the ground, Arianna Huffington wrote in a note to staffers Wednesday night. National editor Kate Palmer will be the publication’s new m.e., and “We will be recruiting a new National Editor,” Huffington wrote.
Soni will return “to the newsroom in a new role, the way Nico Pitney left his position as Managing Editor and returned as Head of Product.”
Joe Pompeo wrote earlier this month that Soni is a “divisive figure” in the HuffPost newsroom, someone who has “clashed with senior figures in the newsroom, according to numerous insiders, who described him as imperious and arrogant, albeit hard-working and devoted to the site.”
Soni “sees himself as more of a change agent,” Pompeo wrote. “The newsroom is stronger, smarter and better than it was,” he told Pompeo.
Memo:
As we are getting close to announcing the launch of HuffPost India, I’m delighted to bring you some related newsroom news. Jimmy Soni will be heading to India to spearhead our launch from New Delhi. This has been a dream of Jimmy’s, as both his parents were born and raised there. And with India such a huge and important market for us, it’s great for HuffPost that Jimmy will be there from the beginning of this effort until the launch. Kate Palmer has done a fantastic job as National Editor, and I’m excited for her to build on her many accomplishments in her new role as Managing Editor. We will be recruiting a new National Editor, and Jimmy will be returning to the newsroom in a new role, the way Nico Pitney left his position as Managing Editor and returned as Head of Product. Please join me in congratulating Kate and wishing Jimmy the best on his passage to India. And since he has been so involved in the growth of Healthy Living, I hope he’ll come back with plenty of meditation, yoga and other Third Metric editorial initiatives! Arianna
