Robin Kwong, new formats editor of The Wall Street Journal, on evolving bridge roles

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In 2016, Robin Kwong was the special projects editor of The Financial Times. It was a position he pitched for, noticing that as the organisation accelerated its digital transformation, it would need a greater range of skills in the building and greater collaboration between new departments.

The trouble was that these departments did not work together easily whether down to jargon or methods of working. As special projects editor, his job was to help facilitate collaboration around special news projects. Positions like these became known as bridge roles, an informal, project management role with ad hoc workflows and predicated on a strong contacts list.

Fast forward to today, Kwong works at The Wall Street Journal still in a bridge role, but under a different job title: new formats editor. That job puts him in charge of deepening relationships, increasing return visits and building loyalty with readers. To that end, he leads three teams across newsletters, audience and data.

In this week's podcast, we discuss how bridge roles have changed over the last five years: from a problem-solving role to an initiator of opportunities. Plus, we look at what you need to know about creating these positions either as an opportunity for yourself or for your company.

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