katharine vinerKatharine Viner, 44, has been named editor-in-chief of the Guardian, making her the first woman to head the UK paper.

She'll take over for Alan Rusbridger, who ran the publication for the past two decades, during the summer.

Viner is e-i-c of the Guardian's US edition and before that helmed the Australian operation. She joined the 194-year-old publication in 1997.

Liz Forgan, chairman of Guardian owner Scott Trust, said Viner "embraced the huge changes in the industry with creativity and relish while bringing with her a deep commitment to the Guardian’s traditions of plural, liberal journalism."

Rusbridger will succeed Forgan at Scott Trust when her term expires early next year.

The Guardian's daily circulation is 180K. Online traffic is trending upward.

Driven the the US audience, the Guardian's web traffic is up 30 percent since February and ranks among the most-shared sites on Facebook, according to analytics firm NewsWhip.