Roula Khalaf, journalist

Roula Khalaf, journalist

From Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

March 22, 2026 · 51 min

About this episode

Roula Khalaf, the first female editor of the Financial Times, discusses her career and personal experiences as a journalist.

Roula Khalaf is a journalist and the first woman to serve as editor of the Financial Times in its 138‑year history. She joined the paper in 1995 as North Africa correspondent, covering the Algerian civil war before reporting more broadly across the Middle East, including Syria, Iran and Iraq, and later the Arab Spring. Roula was born in Beirut and grew up there during the Lebanese civil war which began in 1975. She studied communications at Syracuse University in New York State and then completed a Master’s degree in International Affairs at Columbia University. She joined Forbes Magazine in 1989 before relocating to the UK. Her work has earned several awards, including Foreign Commentator of the Year at the Editorial Intelligence Comment in 2016 Awards and the Foreign Press Association’s Feature Story of the Year for her reporting on Qatar in 2013. Roula has two children with her husband Assaad and lives in London. DISC ONE: Misunderstanding - Genesis DISC TWO: Dernière Danse - Indila DISC THREE: Oghneyat Al Bostah - Ziad Rahbani DISC FOUR: Feeling Good - Nina Simone DISC FIVE: Zina - Babylone DISC SIX: Ya Laure Houbbouki - Fairuz DISC SEVEN: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)…

People in this episode

Host: Lauren Laverne

Guest: Roula Khalaf

Topics covered

  • journalism
  • Middle East
  • personal history
  • music
  • awards
  • cultural commentary

Keywords

  • Roula Khalaf
  • Financial Times
  • journalism
  • Middle East
  • music
  • awards
  • personal history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Financial Times, Forbes Magazine, Editorial Intelligence, Foreign Press Association

Books & works: A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East, Misunderstanding, Dernière Danse, Oghneyat Al Bostah, Feeling Good, Zina, Ya Laure Houbbouki, Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), 7 Seconds

Places: Beirut, Syracuse University, Columbia University

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