© Financial Times
If the Financial Times were a person, what would they look like? Many might have a similar image in their heads – a man, probably Caucasian, in the middle of life (or later), who works in finance.
The reality might surprise you as the FT is so much more than a publication for male finance professionals. Our lively journalism ranges from global business and politics to career advice and culture.
Leyla Boulton is an executive editor and editor of special reports on everything from countries to technology and women in business.
Since joining the newspaper as a correspondent in Moscow in 1990, Leyla has been FT correspondent in Turkey, environment correspondent, as well as a news editor and web pioneer.
She has been shortlisted for the Asian Women of Achievement UK awards for her contribution to innovation at the FT and as a champion and role model of diversity.
Janet Bot
Research shows that if you don’t see people who look like you, you will feel less included in a group or community. With this in mind, the FT has built a virtual bot that monitors the images on the FT’s homepage and reports on gender balance. Playfully named JanetBot, after Janet Yellen, former chair of the US Federal Reserve, the bot sends an alert to news editors when the number of women pictured on the homepage drops, ensuring the images on ft.com are representative and inclusive.
‘She said He said’
In November 2018, the FT launched ‘She said He said’, another bot, this one designed to track the diversity of sources quoted by FT journalists. The initiative is based on research showing a positive correlation between stories that quote women and higher rates of engagement with women readers.
Long Story Short
Every Friday, the FT publishes a subscriber newsletter, Long Story Short. This brings together the week’s biggest stories and best reads in one smart email, hand-picked by a different woman FT journalist each week. With a higher percentage of women readers than other FT newsletters, Long Story Short is an increasingly popular form of engagement with our readers.
Investigations
The FT has led with strong reporting on the #metoo moment and other issues of importance to society. Our Presidents Club investigation revealed sexual misconduct in the heart of the City of London, while our reporting on non-disclosure agreements blew the lid off how for decades Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein silenced the victims of his harassment over two decades.
Powerful content
Last year the FT commissioned a popular editorial series on the gender gap: Management’s Missing Women and more recently a series looking at Women in business. Both performed well, as did the video series, Women Founders.
Our regular special reports led by Women in Business have been pioneers for more than a decade in championing the cause of diversity in corporate boardrooms across the world.
No ‘manels’
The FT has for two years now enforced a zero tolerance on ‘manels’ – all male panel discussions at conferences or events with which the FT has partnerships. This is just one way to ensure a diversity of voices on stage, and for the FT to encourage the wider business community to work harder to uncover and promote women leaders.
Offers to readers
The FT is offering all friends of Global Female Leaders a free three month guest pass to ft.com. The pass gives unlimited access to digital articles, columns and features, mobile and tablet access via the FT’s award-winning apps, personalised email briefings (including Long Story Short) and market-moving news and views, 24 hours a day. Sign up for your three month guest pass.
Partnerships with progressive organisations
Our women’s partnerships, like the media partnership we have with Global Female Leaders, are about introducing the FT to more women, engaging them with our brand and journalism, and improving our appeal to this audience.
