Michael Skapinker

Michael Skapinker is an Associate Editor at the Financial Times, an award winning journalist, and one of the paper’s most experienced writers. In three decades working for the business daily he has reported from all over the world, edited the FT Special Reports and the Weekend edition, and now writes a weekly Business and Society column.

Born and raised in South Africa, Michael’s first job in journalism was in Greece before settling in the UK where he became senior editor on the International Management Magazine. He joined the FT writing on management issues before taking on a range of briefs from aviation and air travel to electronics. He also served as Management Editor, as well as Editor of the FT Special Reports, occasional stand-alone sections of the paper covering specific aspects of business and finance from security to developing economies to the lessons from long-standing companies.

Michael’s current brief covers how business relates to people and society, looking at reputation and perception, whistleblowing, ethics and CSR. His column examines how companies can win, regain and keep people's trust, how to manage difficult employees (and bosses) and the ways in which the English language has conquered businesses around the world. He also retains a wide knowledge of the air transport industry as well as the future of cities and urban innovation, and the meeting of business, law and politics.

An accomplished live chair, Michael hosts many of the FT’s conferences and events around the world. He’s even written about the keys to successfully chairing a conference (including the necessity to make the day tell a story.)

The Work Foundation, the UK's leading think tank on employment issues, gave Michael its Members' Award for his contribution to the understanding of working life and named him Columnist of the Year in its WorkWorld Media Awards. He was named Business Commentator of the Year in the 2012 Editorial Intelligence Comment Awards.