Telegraph critic Gaby Wood to run Man Booker Prize

Gaby Wood was a judge for the prize in 2011

The Daily Telegraph's head of books Gaby Wood has been chosen to oversee the Man Booker Prize.

Wood, who has run the newspaper's fiction coverage for five years, will take over as the award's literary director after this year's ceremony.

She was a judge in 2011 and her father, the author and academic Michael Wood, is this year's chair of judges.

Her appointment comes three weeks after the death of the prize's former literary director, Ion Trewin.

Booker Prize Foundation chair Jonathan Taylor said Wood would "bring new perspectives while maintaining our mission to bring the best of contemporary literary fiction to an ever widening international audience".

He added: "Ion was aware of our intentions and shared our great enthusiasm at the prospect that Gaby would succeed him."