FT journalist killed in Sri Lanka

A journalist for the Financial Times whose last article was about the effects of climate change in Champagne has been killed by a crocodile in Sri Lanka.

Paul McClean. Photo courtesy of the Financial Times

Paul McClean was a reporter on the newspaper’s FastFT newsdesk and covered a variety of subjects, especially those related to currency and economics.

His last post on 12 September was a look at how the Champagne industry is adapting to deal with the effects of climate change and competition from other sparkling wines, in which he spoke to various figures in the French and UK industries including Rowan Gormley of Majestic, Patrick McGrath of Hatch Mansfield and Thibault le Mailloux of the CIVC among others.

He was killed yesterday (14 September) while on holiday with friends in Sri Lanka. Taking part in a surfing lesson, McClean was washing his hands in a lagoon when he was ambushed and dragged into the water by a crocodile.

The Sri Lankan military launched a search and rescue operation and recovered his body earlier this morning (15 September).

McClean, from Ditton in Surrey, joined the FT in 2015 having graduated from Oxford with a first class degree in French. Initially based in Brussels covering ‘Brexit’ he then moved to the FastFT desk in London.

The paper’s tribute to McClean described him as a: “Talented, energetic and dedicated’ journalist with an eye for hidden stories,” and his last post on Champagne as a, “a richly reported and suitably sparkling blend of context, data and quotes,” which it is.

He was 24.