21 March 2019: Long-time editor of How to Spend It (HTSI) and Financial Times veteran, Gillian de Bono, has decided to step down from her role at the luxury magazine after an extraordinary career spanning almost a quarter century. She will depart in summer to pursue a portfolio of interests in journalism and beyond.
Under de Bono’s leadership, HTSI was named Supplement of the Year at the Newsawards fifteen times, most recently in 2017. How To Spend It is also the only colour supplement to have won all three major industry awards in a single year (The British Press Awards, the British Society of Magazine Editors and the News Awards). Gillian herself has been named editor of the year at the British Society of Magazine Editors three times.
Commenting on her decision to leave the FT, where she is also an assistant editor, de Bono said:
“There’s never an easy time for an editor to step down from a magazine she has loved to edit – or to leave a company she holds in such high regard. Many major talents have made invaluable contributions to the character and quality of How to Spend It over the past 25 years and I have forged some of the most extraordinarily gratifying relationships during this time. I hope at least some of these will continue as I look forward to new challenges that will take me in different directions and allow me to indulge more of my personal interests.”
In a note to newsroom staff, editor of the FT Lionel Barber said:
“Gillian ranks among the top magazine editors of her generation, presiding over a pioneering large-format glossy magazine that has grown exponentially into a top-notch brand attracting a fiercely loyal readership around the world.
“Hugely respected, she possesses all the qualities of a successful editor: a meticulous attention to detail and design, especially the finely tuned headline; an unfailing appreciation of her readers and their interests; and an unwavering commitment to world-class journalism.
“How to Spend It carries Gillian’s signature on every page. She combines eclectic irreverence with exotic diversion in design, fashion and travel. She has also assembled a stable of writers and editors that is the envy of the competition.
“Gillian’s decision to step down as editor leaves open one of the top magazine jobs in journalism. The FT will advertise the post of HTSI editor shortly. In the meantime, I would like to pay tribute to Gillian as a great friend, colleague and outstanding editor.”
Ms de Bono joined the FT in 1994 to set up a magazine department following the success of a trial issue of How To Spend It for FT Weekend. Previously, she spent 13 years launching, relaunching and editing women’s glossy magazines. She spent her formative journalist years at Consumers Association, publishers of Which? Magazine.
Ends
Enquiries: Finola.mcdonnell@ft.com I +447827937086 or Catherine.goacher@ft.com I +447711928513
Notes to editors
- How to Spend It is published globally 34 times a year. The core Saturday title is supplemented by Friday and themed editions: A Passion for Fashion, Superior Interiors, Travel Unravelled, Smart Arts, Wise Guise, Boats that Rock, Christmas Unwrapped, Fine Times and, most recently, How to Trend It. It is widely regarded as the benchmark for luxury magazines worldwide.
- The franchise has been part of the Financial Times for more than 50 years, first as a single page in the Saturday edition of the newspaper, then as an expanded section and, finally, from 1994, as a large-format glossy magazine.
- In 2014, How To Spend It celebrated its 20th anniversary with a special fundraising issue of the magazine How To Give It that raised over £362,650 for Save The Children.
- Gillian de Bono also edits the magazine’s website (howtospendit.com) and iPad app and oversees an Italian language edition of the magazine which launched in 2014 in collaboration with Il Sole 24 Ore.