Roula Khalaf, the groundbreaking first female editor of the Financial Times, shares her insights into modern leadership and journalism. She discusses her journey through war-torn Beirut to leading a major publication, emphasizing empathy and open communication in leadership. Khalaf also reflects on the evolving media landscape during the pandemic and the importance of quality journalism amidst misinformation. The conversation touches on free speech issues and the complexities of managing hybrid teams, offering a nuanced perspective on the future of leadership.
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Pandemic Takeover
Roula Khalaf became the Financial Times editor six weeks before the pandemic.
This forced her to focus intensely on running the paper and covering the pandemic, delaying other ambitions.
insights INSIGHT
Unexpected Authority
The Financial Times, unexpectedly, became an authority on science and health during the pandemic.
Making some COVID coverage free increased subscriber trust and appreciation.
insights INSIGHT
Restored Trust
Trust in media declined but was restored during the pandemic due to quality reporting by authoritative sources.
Quality journalism, though costly, plays a vital public service role.
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The Wolf of Wall Street is a memoir that chronicles Jordan Belfort's career as a stockbroker and his founding of Stratton Oakmont, a firm notorious for its 'pump and dump' schemes and other fraudulent practices. The book describes Belfort's meteoric rise to wealth and power, his indulgent lifestyle filled with drugs, women, and luxury, and his eventual downfall due to legal scrutiny. It also explores the darker side of Wall Street, highlighting themes of greed, moral compromise, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. Belfort's narrative is marked by humor, regret, and a candid reflection on his past actions and their repercussions[2][3][5].
Chris Hirst, Global CEO of advertising group Havas Creative, cuts through the bullshit and gets to the heart of modern leadership in this straight-talking podcast brought to you by Intelligence Squared.
In this episode, Christ Hirst speaks to Roula Khalaf, the Editor of the Financial Times. In January 2020, Khalaf became the first female editor in the Financial Times’ 134-year history. Her path to the top of the FT came through her work as a foreign correspondent. Born in Lebanon, she served as the FT’s Foreign Editor, reporting from Iraq, Iran and Syria, and leading the FT’s coverage of the Arab Spring. She joined the FT in 1995 as North Africa correspondent after a stint as a staff writer for Forbes magazine in New York, and she now manages 600 journalists across the globe as editor of one of the world’s most respected and recognisable publications.
If you enjoyed this podcast please let us know what you think by rating and reviewing No Bullsh*t Leadership on Apple Podcasts. For updates on the series follow @intelligence2 and @chrishirst on Twitter.
Producer & Editor: Bella Soames;
Technical Support: Mark Roberts.
Chris Hirst is author of the award-winning book No Bulls*ht Leadership: Why the World Needs More Everyday Leaders and Why That Leader Is You.
Podnotes:
00:00 Intro
01:17 Becoming editor during the pandemic
04:59 Increased trust in the media
07:21 Your childhood and growing up in Beirut
10:52 Your take on Carlos Ghosn
12:26 Your first job at Forbes and meeting Jordan Belfort
14:40 Early career as a foreign correspondent
16:24 Your leadership style
17:12 Learning about a new style of management during the pandemic
20:00 What you can and can’t achieve with hybrid working systems
21:28 Your experience as the first female editor of the Financial Times
22:16 Why a diversity of views makes for better journalism
23:52 The difference between leadership near the top of an organisation, and once you become the leader of an organisation
27:45 The FT’s role in highlighting the topics that should be relevant to their readers
30:52 What do you think of Elon Musk buying Twitter?
32:32 What role has failure played in your career?
34:13 A piece advice for somebody taking on a new, big leadership position
Intelligence Squared 
