For decades, Lena K Samuelsson not only had a front-row seat to witness Schibsted's constant drive to change and transform its business and journalism, she also played a crucial leadership role in shaping and executing the Nordic group's strategy. Last week WAN-IFRA announced she will join the organisation as Executive Strategic Advisor, helping to shape the organisation's strategy and that of its members. Here is our conversation with her about this new role. The post Q&A with Lena K Samuelsson: ‘Who else will take the fight for journalism, if not us?’ appeared first on WAN-IFRA.
Lena K Samuelsson spent her entire career with the digital front-runner Schibsted. After a decade in the newsroom of Aftonbladet, she became Editor-in-Chief of Svenska Dagbladet in 2001. In 2013 she joined the International Management Team of Schibsted, as EVP Communications, Brand and CSR. In 2018 she was appointed publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Aftonbladet, the largest digital news destination in the Nordics, and joined the Leadership team of Schibsted’s media division. She now works as an advisor, mentor and keynote speaker and serves on the WAN-IFRA Media Freedom Board.
I have known Lena for quite some time and had the opportunity to interview her onstage during our Digital Media Europe conference in 2016 to talk about what else: leading change at Schibsted. So now, 10 years later I had the chance to chat with her as a colleague at WAN-IFRA. I’m sure it won’t be another 10 years this go-round.
Dean Roper: Welcome to your new assignment as Executive Strategic Advisor for WAN-IFRA. You are now becoming a part of a global media organisation – how does it feel?
Lena K Samuelsson: Really good! I look forward to working with CEO Stig Ørskov, the management, the board and all the people of WAN-IFRA around the world. It’s a fantastic opportunity to influence the largest and most diverse alliance of media organisations in the world, with over 20,000 media brands and tech companies across 120 countries. Impressive to say the least.
I hope to contribute to shaping a strong and energising strategy for the whole organisation and an even greater value for our members. I will also focus on how leadership is a strategic advantage and how the role as a leader is developing and changing in a digital context, something I am very engaged in and have worked with during the last year as advisor, mentor and keynote speaker.
I think my key insight is this: It doesn’t matter how fancy technology you have, how many smart AI tools or how forward-leaning your strategy is. Without an open and digital culture, you will not change a thing.
Like other titles within Schibsted, and throughout the Nordics, you had this dual responsibility of Editor-in-Chief and CEO/Publisher at times in your career. How did you make that initial transition years ago when you moved into a publisher role, i.e. no more “separation of church and state!”?
It has been a natural development as the newsrooms have become more digital. When you lead a digital media organisation, journalism, product and technology, the user experience and business development go hand in hand, all dependent on each other and experienced cross-functional teams.
It takes a village. Especially as digital subscription and user data has become fundamentals of the whole operation, combining the role of Editor-in-Chief with the former responsibilities of a CEO came naturally.
It is also an effect of how many media organisations are moving more into a matrix, where business, product and finance are common functions, which leads to a new type of management structure.
You have been a part of and overseen much of the transformation that took place at Aftonbladet and Schibsted over the years, whether that was embracing paid content models, convergence in the newsroom, and most recently, implementing AI in the newsroom. How did your editor background and that dual responsibility help you to implement change and get buy-in from the newsroom?
Yes, I was even there in the nineties, when we found the internet – in Atlanta! – and Aftonbladet came home to Stockholm, Sweden and went online in August 1994 as one of the first newsrooms in the world… But that’s another story.
As a media leader you have to be clear on the fact that everything starts and ends with journalism, that’s our core and heart, that is our mission, that is why people come to our sites and what makes people choose to work in media. But with that said, journalism needs more than newsrooms to stand strong.
We need to be at the forefront of product and tech development, we need solid business models, user insights and growth. To have an impact and ability to perform our democratic mission everybody is therefore important.
Independent journalism is challenged in so many ways, we need to tear down the former walls within, join forces and be strong, courageous and innovative together. Without ever compromising editorial integrity. That is fully possible.
How will those experiences shape the advice and guidance you bring to WAN-IFRA’s programmes and initiatives?
First of all, I have many things to learn about WAN-IFRA and all of you who work here even though I already know several people since I am on the Media Freedom Board. The initiatives WAN-IFRA has on media freedom, such as Women in News (WIN) and Stronger Together, are exceedingly important and inspiring.
I have had the privilege of meeting leaders of the WIN Guild in Malawi and discussed leadership with editors in the Ukraine – here WAN-IFRA and our partners play vital roles and I am proud to be part of the team.
Now I am very excited to dive into everything that you have on the agenda for our members! I do believe I have relevant experience to bring to the table as WAN-IFRA now is entering a new and exciting phase. It is a defining moment for journalism and media and WAN-IFRA is a strong joining force of all our members worldwide with expertise on media sustainability and innovation, and offering an unique arena for sharing and learning from each other.
I have over the years focused on building one uniting culture and an organisation with common goals, where each and everyone knows their role and how they contribute to the experience and expectations our users and customers have.
I am a journalist and editor, but I am also very commercially oriented and believe in the opportunities that lay in new technology and how that can empower us, if we dare to disrupt ourselves.
Schibsted has been a beacon of inspiration for many years for its constant innovation and transformation. What leadership skills have played a crucial role in garnering that reputation?
I’m grateful to have spent my career at Schibsted and to have learned so much from the amazing people in the company – and I still do. I believe there are many factors that have kept Schibsted at the forefront of digital for so many years – curiosity, luck, courage, focus – but they all spring from a forward-leaning culture, defined by a constant drive to improve and an unshakeable belief that rethinking is not only possible, but necessary.
It’s an open and diverse culture, yet at the same time razor-sharp and competitive, and that influences everyone – including leaders.
From a publisher’s perspective, what are the most urgent leadership challenges you see today?
The polarisation and undermining of truth of course. The fact that AI is changing everything. The challenges media face in engaging younger audiences. All will demand courage and ability to rethink what we are doing and how. Many things are challenging – but we also have a historic chance to stand up and do something about it.
WAN-IFRA has vowed to protect the rights of journalists and publishers around the world to operate independent media. So, who else will take the fight for journalism, if not us?
As a Executive Strategic Advisor to WAN-IFRA, what will your role look like inside WAN-IFRA, and where do you see your impact being most immediate?
I will act as a strategic advisor for Stig and his team and reinforce the WAN-IFRA expertise in media leadership. Exactly how the role will develop will depend on what brings the most value to the organisation and our customers – the members.
The post Q&A with Lena K Samuelsson: ‘Who else will take the fight for journalism, if not us?’ appeared first on WAN-IFRA.
