London: The Financial Times today announces the launch of ‘Women at the Top’, a multi-platform initiative which will see extensive editorial coverage in the paper, on video and online, and a global conference celebrating the top 50 women in global business.

The conference, held on 16 November, will see 160 of the world’s most influential business women gathered at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel. Christine Lagarde, France’s finance minister, will give the opening address, and other speakers include Cherie Blair and Guler Sabanci, Chairman and Managing Director of Sabanci Group. Judges include Dame Marjorie Scardino of Pearson and Dame Clara Furse. The FT’s ranking of the Top 50 Women in Business will be unveiled the next day in a special magazine supplement with the FT’s global editions.

Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, said: “The Women at the Top series will draw on the FT’s exclusive access to global business leaders, as well as its multi-platform approach, to address the most important issues faced by influential women in business today.”
Jayne Van Hoen, Managing Director of Global Conferences and Events at the FT, added: “We are delighted to launch Women at the Top and celebrate the achievements of women in business around the world. The FT is read by the world’s top decision-makers, and we have seen our female readership increase in recent years.”

The dedicated editorial series launches on 14 October and will involve key FT journalists including associate editor Andrew Hill, US managing editor Gillian Tett and FT Weekend editor Caroline Daniel. The first articles will explore the role of female executives in China and the importance of mentoring. There will also be a special themed ‘women’s edition’ FT Weekend Magazine on 11 December.
Further editorial features will be available on a microsite, http://www.ft.com/womenatthetop. It will feature video interviews with top female chief executives and interactive features, the first being a Q&A with high-profile headhunters in the global business sector. The site will invite visitors and conference delegates to give opinions on key business issues, which will in turn help shape the editorial agenda.
The data for the ranking will be supplied by Egon Zehnder International.