Who is the World’s First Female CEO?

Images: www.washingtonpost.com

Katharine Graham made history as the world’s first female Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Her achievements opened the door for other women to start their careers and reach the top positions. Quoted from daya.id Katharine Graham’s work as CEO of the Washington Post made the American daily newspaper company one of the best of its time.

Who Is Katharine Graham?

The Washington Post was a newspaper purchased by Katharine’s father, Eugene Graham. After Katharine’s father retired, he handed over the CEO position to Philip Graham, Katharine’s husband. However, in the ’60s, Philip decided to take his own life thus making Katharine become her husband’s successor in the CEO position.

Katharine’s Journey at the Washington Post

There weren’t many female leaders in Katharine’s day, especially those at the top of newspaper companies. As a woman without a role model, Katharine admits that she has faced many difficulties. She is looked down upon by her co-workers, especially men. Many think that the CEO position seems ‘easy’ given to Katharine. This made Katharine feel insecure in her own abilities.

However, Katharine did not give up. She continued what was good and added a few things in favor of gender equality in the Washington Post. This movement made her supported by many people, both men, and women.

Collaboration Between Women and Men

Katharine decides to hire workers without any third-party help. He went through recruiting the candidates with her own hands and eventually met Benjamin Bradlee. This man then worked as an editor at the Washington Post and made incredible stories. Although Katharine and Bradlee are known as partners who often argue, both have the same goal. They are able to put aside personal bias and work together to make the Washington Post a better place. Bradlee on the content and Katharine as the head of the company

Tough Step

Katharine made challenging steps in her leadership, one of which was the selection of news stories that challenged the American government’s war. The Washington Post contributed to the release of the Pentagon Papers¹ and the Watergate² scandal, making it even more trusted by the public. With two major government scandals and the outstanding quality of the writing, the Washington Post has become one of America’s greatest powers. In addition to being a public representative, this step succeeded in increasing the Washington Post’s revenue.

But in her biography, Katharine writes about her fears when she released two government scandals that later came true. Katharine was summoned by the government to appear in court due to the news. However, public support for her and the Washington Post allowed Katharine to defend herself with articles that protected the print media at that time.

Katharine in Popular Culture

Katharine’s figure as one of the reliable female CEOs has made her highly respected, especially when Katharine continues to defend the rights of women and the marginalized.

Katharine left an imprint on popular culture with her biographical book and film The Post. This book tells about Katharine as a reliable female CEO. In the book, many are told about his personal comments on all decisions that occurred in the Washington Post during his leadership. While the film The Post, which was released in 2017, focuses on her work before the Pentagon Papers until the incident was released in the newspaper. The hope is that there will be many women who are confident in pursuing careers to occupy top positions in the company.

The Post Movie Trailer

Footnote:

¹ Paper that contains a history – including secrets about everything from plots to carrying out coups to estimates of other countries’ intentions – of the U.S. role in Indochina from World War II until May 1968 and that was commissioned in 1967 by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara.

² A major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of U.S. President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 led to Nixon’s resignation.

30 May 2022

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