Based in Tokyo, he will be responsible for growing the Japan business in line with Reuters Core Plus growth strategy.

As the new President of Reuters Japan, Mark Smith will seek to accelerate growth by building on its strong treasury position, leading enterprise data business and excellent customer service. In particular, he will be promoting recent enhancements to Reuters services for the Japanese Research and Asset Management and fixed income markets. He will report to Alexander Hungate, Managing Director of Reuters Asia.

Mark Smith joined Reuters from eBridge in October 2001 following the acquisition of Bridge Information Systems by Reuters. At eBridge he was responsible for building a new global business in the US, Europe and Asia. This became the fastest growing global division within Bridge selling financial information, news, technology and web design for customers' web portals.

Since his appointment as Head of Sales for Reuters in Asia, Mark has started a series of initiatives to drive profitable subscriber growth. This included the implementation of a successful commercial team operating model which led to a doubling of the Asian sales rate in 2006.

Alex Hungate, Reuters Asia Managing Director said: "Mark brings 16 years of dynamic leadership in the financial information and software industries across three continents. We are confident he will lead Reuters Japan to a fast growing and profitable future."

Mark Smith, President of Reuters Japan said: "I am thrilled by the tremendous opportunity Japan represents for our business. Throughout the 135 years Reuters has been in Japan we have delivered on speed, accuracy and freedom from bias. Our customers in Japan are looking towards Reuters as a trusted partner to help them take advantage of global market innovations and Asia's economic dynamism."