The Economist Educational Foundation is delighted to announce the appointment of Robert Guest, The Economist’s Deputy Editor, as its new Chair of Trustees, effective 24th September 2025. Robert’s appointment confirms the deep and enduring commitment of The Economist’s editorial team to the work of the Foundation.
“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to help with The Economist Educational Foundation.” says Robert Guest. “It’s a fantastic organisation that does terrific work. Daniel Franklin will be a hard act to follow, but I’m looking forward to working with Flora Letanka, the CEO, and her team, and I hope we can help many more young people learn how to think critically about current affairs. Given the torrent of falsehood they are now exposed to, it has never been more important to give them the tools they need to make sense of the news.”
Robert succeeds Daniel Franklin, who served as the Chair of Trustees for 13 years. Daniel has guided the Foundation from its beginnings as a small charity working with a handful of schools to the global charity it is today. The Foundation now inspires passionate Topical Talk discussions in more than 10,800 classrooms in over 80 countries worldwide. The Topical Talk Festival is the world’s biggest news festival for children and the Leadership for Change Prize has empowered thousands of children to develop their own solutions to the world’s most intractable problems.
On his departure, Daniel said: “It’s amazing to think how far the Foundation has come since it started with just a brilliant idea by Emily Evans, put to the editor at the time, John Micklethwait, and me in John’s office. It’s grown, developed and thrived in a way that we couldn’t have imagined then. And it’s going from strength to strength under the current CEO, Flora Letanka. There is no one better to help take it to its next great heights than my colleague Robert Guest, who is both a brilliant editor and someone who cares deeply about the impact the Foundation has on children’s lives.”
The Foundation’s CEO, Flora Letanka, adds, “Daniel’s contribution has been extraordinary – he has guided the Foundation from its very beginning with such integrity, wisdom and compassion, and he will be hugely missed. But we are delighted and honoured to have the opportunity to work with Robert going forward. Having such a distinguished editor to guide us and to maintain strong connections with The Economist’s wider editorial team will play a crucial part in our success as we empower children across the world to discuss the news.”
Looking ahead, the Foundation is focused on its goal of reaching one million young people by August 2026, equipping them with the knowledge and skills they need to think critically, communicate effectively and understand the world around them.