After 172 years and 16 editors, The Economist Magazine this week appointed its first female editor, Shropshire girl, Zanny Minton Beddoes.
Beddoes, a former pupil at Moreton Hall near Oswestry, joined The Economist in 1994 after studying at Oxford and Harvard and following a successful career as an economist with the International Monetary Fund.
Never losing sight of her roots, Zanny Minton Beddoes returned to her Shropshire school last year as the guest speaker at the annual Moreton Hall Business Lunch. She captivated the 300 strong audience with her ability to present the most baffling of economic issues with clarity and humour as she cantered through topics including globalisation, recessions, emerging nations, ageing populations and digitalisation.
Jonathan Forster, Principal of Moreton Hall comments: “We are delighted for Zanny. The success of Moreton Hall is based upon its capacity to embrace all the challenges offered to women in today’s fast changing world. Zanny embodies that ability completely.”
In a recent interview Zanny explained that Moreton had given her: “The sense of being capable of anything and not being constrained by anyone else.” It looks like this has stood her in good stead.