A FORMER head girl of a North Yorkshire school has become the first female editor-in-chief of a national newspaper in its 194-year history.
Katharine Viner, who attended Ripon Grammar School in the 1980s, will take up her new position at The Guardian in the summer, having been deputy editor since 2008.
Her connection with The Guardian began in 1987 when, as a student reflecting on how the O level would be remembered, she had an article published in which she wrote: “Cramming five years of knowledge into two and a half hours does not seem to be a fair system.”
As a student at Ripon, Katharine, along with Simon Stockill, won the national final of the prestigious Observer Mace Schools’ Debating competition in 1988.
After leaving Ripon Grammar School, Katharine went to Oxford University to study English at Pembroke College.
She worked for Cosmopolitan magazine and spent three years at The Sunday Times before joining The Guardian.
She returned to Ripon Grammar School in 2005 for the annual Speech Day when she gave a motivational speech reflecting on her school days.
Headmaster Martin Pearman said: "As the new headmaster at RGS that year it was an absolute pleasure to meet Katharine for the first time. She was engaging and put everyone she met at ease. Her address was inspirational and our students were utterly enthralled by what she had to say.
“I would like to congratulate Katharine on her appointment and I am confident she will excel in her new role. She is a tremendous inspiration for all the students at Ripon Grammar School and her appointment is thoroughly deserved."
