Future to make 150 hires in three months as Covid-19 fails to halt growth plans

Future says it plans to make more than 150 new hires in the next three months, mostly in editorial, as it looks to expand despite Covid-19.

The majority of the new roles will be in specialist editorial across the publisher’s technology, games and entertainment, music, home and gardens, sports, TV and film, real life, women’s lifestyle, and B2B brands.

Others will be in video in the newly-formed Future Studios division, which incorporates video content production agency Barcroft Studios, bought last year for £23.5m, and in technology.

Future chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne (pictured) said: “As we look to 2021, we want to continue the strong momentum we have built, with a focus on key areas where we know we can innovate and deliver for our audiences.

“Content that connects and innovative technology sit at the very heart of our business, and we look forward to welcoming new talent spanning editorial, video and tech, who will be able to ensure we retain and enhance our leading brand positions across the markets we serve.”

The first of the roles posted online include nine full-time editorial positions, with staff writer roles across Future’s celebrity, technology and sports on offer.

There are also 20 12-month fixed-term trainee news writer roles on offer for new journalists, who will be put through the publisher’s training and development programme.

A pre-close trading update for the 12 months to 30 September showed Future was expecting to be materially ahead of market expectations as it benefited from the shift to digital media this year.

The publisher told investors its organic unique visitors in the UK and US were up 25% and 40% respectively year-on-year in August.

Future was one of just a few publishers, including the Telegraph and Spectator, that paid back furlough money from the Government in the summer after performing better than expected through lockdown.

It did propose an unconfirmed number of job losses at TI Media, which it finished buying for £140m in April, and took early action to close six magazines just one week into the UK’s lockdown as retail footfall fell and hit newsstand sales.

Since the TI Media takeover Future now owns more than 220 brands globally. Some of its best known UK titles include Four Four Two, Cycling Weekly, Horse & Hound, Woman’s Weekly, What’s On TV, Total Film and T3.

Picture: Future

Topics in this article : Future PLC