Federica Cherubini appointed as Head of Leadership Development

Federica Cherubini has been appointed as Head of Leadership Development of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. She will report to Director Rasmus Nielsen and will be part of our senior management team. 

Federica will play a key role in pursuing our mission of exploring the future of journalism worldwide, connecting practice and research, and building and developing the Reuters Institute as a centre of excellence with a global reputation. 

As Head of Leadership Development, she will host our open-admission programs and invitation-only forums in Oxford and will lead on expanding our leadership development activities, working closely with the rest of the senior management team to ensure our offers are on mission, deliver value for the growing number of participants, and are financially sustainable for the institute.

Federica is an expert in newsroom operations and organisational change, with ten years experience spanning major publishers, research institutes and editorial networks around the world.

Before joining the Reuters Institute, she was Engagement Manager at Hearken, an audience consulting company that helps newsrooms better listen to and engage with their stakeholders in order to build sustainability. Federica specialises in devising and implementing new and improved ways of working, bridging people, disciplines, departments, projects and cultures. 

Prior to joining Hearken she was Audience Projects Editor at Condé Nast International, working on audience growth, best practice and knowledge sharing. She is an expert on newsletter strategies and editorial initiatives that drive audience loyalty. She is a coach with the Membership Puzzle Project. 

Federica is a director at Hacks/Hackers London, a community of 4,000+ members at the intersection of journalism and technology who meet to discuss and rethink the future of news. She is returning to the Reuters Institute, where she previously worked as a researcher on the Digital News Project team, publishing reports on editorial analytics, online video strategies and fact checking in Europe. She participated in the Online News Association's 2018 Women’s Leadership Accelerator and is a mentor with the Digital Women Leaders initiative. 

Responding to the appointment, Federica said: “Leadership in news needs redefining. Relentless change has become the practical reality of the media industry. The path is uncharted and leadership — new and senior managers alike — is under pressure to figure out the future. Newsroom leaders have had to learn to operate at the intersection of data, technology and product management, alongside editorial. Aside from technical competencies, however, one of the most pressing issues editors and executives have been confronted with is how to guide their organisations and teams during these times of constant transformation, in a renewed context of diversity and inclusion. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to address this challenge with the amazing team at the Reuters Institute.”

Rasmus Nielsen, Director of the Reuters Institute, said: “The coronavirus crisis is only further accelerating the structural change towards digital media, and increasing pressures on already crumbling traditional business models and often-outdated organizational forms in the news media. Business-as-usual is delusional and suicidal in a situation like this. We need leaders in news in all roles and all levels to be the best they can be to get the profession and the industry through this crisis, help journalism adapt to a changing world, and thrive in it. I can’t think of anyone better than Federica to lead on expanding the Reuters Institute’s efforts to help leaders in news all over the world learn from one another and from independent research to understand the situation we are in, what it means for their respective organization, and what role they can play in leading their team and their organization forward.”

Federica Cherubini will be taking up her post on April 27, 2020.