Katherine Viner
The Yorkshire-born editor-in-chief of The Guardian was named today as one of the ten most influential women.
Katharine Viner was the first women to be appointed to the role in March and today she notched up another prestigious title when named as one BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour Power List top 10.
She was named during a special programme today, presented by Jane Garvey and Jenni Murray and broadcast live from BBC Radio Theatre. The list features women involved in areas ranging from politics and fashion to journalism and entertainment including Nicola Sturgeon and Angelina Jolie.
The aim of this year’s list was to identify a range of women who have an exceptionally large impact on our lives, not just because of their job title but because of their personal ability to influence others.
Putting Viner at number four, the judging panel chair Emma Barnett siad: “The newly appointed editor of one of the UK’s broadsheets can’t be anything other than influential. The reach of British newspapers has never been as large as it is in today’s globalised and digitally powered world. Katharine Viner, despite taking over the reins of The Guardian only a matter of weeks ago, is immediately one of the most influential women in the English speaking world. She is also, of course, the first female editor of the broadsheet in its 194-year history.”
Viner, who was educated at Ripon Grammar School and began her journalism career with work experience at the Ripon Gazette.
Viner spent three years at the Sunday Times before joining the Guardian in 1997, where she has fulfilled a number of roles including features editor and editor of the Saturday Weekend supplement. Her first job was with Cosmopolitan magazine.
