Intersection: After 175 years, a number of firsts

DELIVERING ON DIVERSITY, GENDER EQUALITY, AND INCLUSION

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In this issue, we look at the AP’s new leader and how women are boosting innovation and inclusivity in American sports.

THE ZEITGEIST

Daisy Veerasingham is the first in many ways. The Associated Press (AP) announced last week that Veerasingham will serve as its next president and CEO—making her the first woman, the first person of color, and the first citizen of a country other than the US to lead the global news organization in its 175-year history. Come January, Veerasingham, a first-generation Briton of Sri Lankan descent, will take her place among the few women at the top of the media industry. Female CEOs lead only six of the top 100 international media corporations—and 30 of those corporations have no women in top management, according to a 2018 University of Gothenburg analysis.

Women are also underrepresented in top journalism positions: across 240 major news outlets in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe, women make up only 22 percent of top editors. In addition, research by the Reuters Institute shows that none of the top news outlets in Brazil, Germany, or the UK have a top editor (editor in chief or the like) who is not White; in the US, people of color account for just 18 percent of top editors.

What will it take to diversify both news-media C-suites and newsrooms? Diversifying the industry’s boards is a place to start. For more on what it will take, check out this McKinsey report on women in the American media industry. In the meantime, here’s a stat to put the significance of Veerasingham’s appointment in perspective: every day, more than half of the global population sees journalism by the AP.

THE VIEW

“Speaking as a woman in sports, let’s be honest: there are not as many of us as there should be. I played basketball, and I have wondered, would I have pursued the path of becoming a general manager or a coach if it were open to me? I didn’t see any women down that path at the time, so our efforts now are tremendously important.”
— Amy Brooks

While the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the way that fans and players engage in sports across the world, it has given leagues and teams an opportunity to change the game. Amy Brooks, chief innovation officer for the National Basketball Association (NBA), has helped the organization experiment with everything from virtual fans to multiple broadcast locations and a newly configured play-in tournament (in which teams compete to determine which will join the top seeds in the playoffs). Boosting diversity in front offices across professional sports could also help leagues remain competitive, both during and after the pandemic. The past few years have ushered in a new era; leaders like Brooks—as well as Cathy Engelbert, the first commissioner of the Women’s NBA (WNBA), and Kim Ng, the first woman to serve as general manager of a “Big Four” team—are helping pave the way for other women and also bring fresh perspectives. Here’s the latest: Catie Griggs, who was recently named president of business operations for the Seattle Mariners, says she wants the M’s to be “the most progressive team in baseball,” with respect to both inclusivity and technological innovation.

— Edited by Gwyn Herbein, an assistant managing editor in McKinsey’s Atlanta office

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