People 'disconcerted their boss is a woman' says Guardian's first female Editor-in-Chief

Katharine Viner, the first female Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian, says that she still finds staff that are unsettled that their boss is female.

Giving her first interview since her promotion, Viner explained to Vogue that some of her colleagues seemed slightly disconcerted to work for a woman. Having taken over the role from pervious Editor Alan Rusbridger, Viner had to beat the likes of Janine Gibson, Wolfgang Blau and Emily Gibson for the top seat.

Liz Forgan, the then chair of Scott Trust, the company that owns The Guardian, explained the decision making process, saying: “We all agreed it would be wonderful if the candidate was a woman, but if a stronger candidate was a man, we would appoint a man.”

During her interview, Viner explains how she would like to further the open and collaborative culture at The Guardian, bringing “a lot of energy to things”. Viner commented that The Guardian is a “place where women really thrive”, but added: “Obviously, just now and again, you can tell some people are just a bit disconcerted that their boss is a woman.”