Peter Thornton QC was chosen by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, after consultation with Lord Chancellor Liz Truss.
Mr Thornton recently retired as first chief coroner for England and Wales, and was replaced by Mark Lucraft QC.
A pre-inquest hearing will be held on 28 November at Solihull Council House.
After a lengthy campaign by victims' families, Birmingham coroner Louise Hunt ruled in June the inquests would be reopened.
The original hearings, opened days after the 1974 attacks, were not continued after the jailing of six men, whose convictions were later quashed.
Last month, the government refused a request from relatives of victims to pay their legal fees.
They had hoped to secure an arrangement mirroring the Hillsborough inquests, where costs incurred were met by the government.
Families are now waiting to hear if they will be granted legal aid.
One of Britain's most senior coroners will lead inquests into the deaths of 21 people in the Birmingham pub bombings.