LAUNCHING: MAISIE SKIDMORE
Current Employer:
AnOther Magazine
Time at the company:
1 year, 9 months
THE BIG QUESTIONS
WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL TITLE?
Online Editor, AnOther Magazine.
WHAT DO YOU DO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS?
I commission and edit content for anothermag.com, I work with the fashion, digital and photo teams to build the presence of the website in both digital and cultural landscapes, I collaborate with our commercial team on brand-sponsored projects, I manage the online team, and I maintain relationships with the PRs and agencies who keep us up to date with what’s going on in the world of art, fashion and culture. And I do some writing, too.
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD?
Write! So I’m not doing so badly.
WHAT ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS DO YOU HAVE?
A handful of A Levels and a degree in English Literature from King’s College London.
WHAT’S THE BEST CAREER ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN?
Be kind, meet two new people every week, and go to the pub on Fridays.
WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY?
Franca Sozzani, the late editor-in-chief of Italian Vogue. She was responsible for producing one of the most successful magazines in the word, and she did more than perhaps anybody else in the industry to advance conversations around diversity, gender equality and representation in the process. She’s left the world a changed place, which is maybe all we can ever hope to do.
WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT WORKING ENVIRONMENT?
The extraordinary team of women I work with, who are some of the most brilliant, respected, and inspiring in the industry – one which is sometimes thought of as being very cut-throat. Fortunately, that hasn’t been my experience at all. I learn something from them every day.
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT YOUR DAILY WORK ROUTINE IF YOU COULD?
I’d disable all emails after 6.30, and at weekends – and I think my team would be much happier for it.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF PROFESSIONALLY IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME?
Doing this, I hope, and doing it brilliantly!
DO YOU FEEL YOU CAN BE THE SAME PERSON AT WORK AND IN PRIVATE?
That’s an interesting question. It’s honestly never occurred to me that I might have to be anything but.
WHERE AND IN WHAT ROLES ARE WOMEN IN THE LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE AT YOUR COMPANY?
They’re in every position, all the way up! I’m very privileged to work in an environment which makes that possible.
DOES DIVERSITY MATTER TO YOU?
As the editor of a publishing platform, it’s at the forefront of everything I do. And, crucially, it’s diversity for the sake of representing as broad as possible a range of ideas and opinions, not for the sake of ticking boxes to avoid complaints.
HOW GOOD IS YOUR WORK LIFE BALANCE?
It is a work in progress. I learning to accept the fact that it always will be.
WHAT QUALITIES DOES BEING IN YOUR ROLE NECESSITATE?
I have to be dynamic, curious, engaged, solution-oriented, friendly, assertive. And very good with spelling and grammar.
ANY FINAL COMMENTS?
None.