David Pilling was appointed Asia editor of the Financial Times in September 2008. Prior to this he was Tokyo bureau chief, a post he took up in January 2002. Before that, David was pharmaceuticals correspondent for three years.  Between 1994 and 1998 he was deputy features editor, and prior to that the Argentina correspondent and Santiago correspondent. David joined the Financial Times in 1990.

Before joining the FT, David was chief sub-editor at the African Economic Digest.

David graduated from Jesus College, Cambridge, in 1986 with an English degree. He gained a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism the following year at City University, London.

He was the winner of the Observer Young Travel Writer of the Year in 1989.