Thank you to Jo Ellison for stopping by TheBoldWay.
If you work in fashion, luxury, design or if you simply love beautiful things, you inevitably know her name.
Jo Ellison is the woman who leads HTSI (How To Spend It), the signature magazine of the Financial Times, one of the most influential publications in the world, scrutinized every weekend by creatives, executives, collectors, and aesthetes globally.
A respected editor, sometimes feared, often admired. A voice. A real one.
But behind that image lies an extraordinary story:
- the story of a girl from Croydon, raised between London and Dubai, who discovers the world at age 12;
- the story of a history student who imagined becoming an actress;
- the story of a young journalist learning the craft in a tiny newsroom in Cork, Ireland, before — through almost insolent persistence — landing a role at British Vogue;
- and finally, that of an outsider who joined the Financial Times without ever having reviewed a single fashion show — only to become, ten years later, the head of one of the world’s most coveted magazines.
In this episode, Jo shares:
- how she prepares an iconic cover,
- how she speaks to the biggest CEOs in fashion without ever being intimidated,
- how she transformed HTSI into a global, elegant, bold, unpredictable magazine,
- what luxury really means today — and why good work always wins in the end.
And then there’s everything else: her style, her humour, her doubts, her obsessions, her moments of anger, her vision for the future — and that almost childlike relationship to curiosity, which feels like the key to everything.
A rare, brilliant, deeply human conversation.
A moment of truth with one of the most fascinating editors of our time.
Welcome to TheBoldWay.
You’re not ready.
Timeline
00:00 — Introduction & context: Presentation of TheBoldWay, joining the Financial Times, and describing the FT as a global institution
02:00 — HTSI today: Magazine structure, editorial team, international contributors, and a vision of luxury as an art of living
08:30 — Childhood & education: Cambridge, Croydon, teenage years in Dubai, cultural exposure, and early aesthetic shocks through magazines
13:00 — Discovering journalism: History studies in Edinburgh, first theatre jobs, then departure to Cork where she learned the craft in a newsroom
24:00 — Entering British Vogue: Extreme persistence (three letters to land an interview), work in culture & celebrities, and the secrets behind a great cover
33:00 — The Financial Times: Hiring, first runway shows, encounters with luxury leaders (Delphine Arnault, Axel Dumas), and her crash course in the business of fashion
42:00 — Taking over HTSI: Redesigning the magazine, editorial evolution, adding art, culture, hospitality, and shaping a global vision of luxury
55:00 — The editorial machine: Workflow, annual schedule, exclusives, weekly deadlines, contributors’ role, and writing the editor’s letter
1:07:00 — Her professional philosophy: Obsessive curiosity, interviewing CEOs, authentic luxury, and the function of a magazine in an anxious world
1:22:00 — Passing it on & the future: Advice for young talents, how to join HTSI, the future of luxury, creative industries, and a reflection on non-linear careers
Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.
