Nicola Mendelsohn has spent her first day as guest editor of The Jewish Chronicle and insisted being in the new role was "an absolute honour."

Mrs Mendelsohn, the Joint President of Norwood with her husband, Lord Mendelsohn, spoke after taking her first editorial conference alongside editor Stephen Pollard and the team  in the JC's office in Golders Green on Monday morning.

Immediately after conference Mrs Mendelsohn said: "I found it very exciting. If you get the opportunity to do something new or something different I always seize it.

"I learnt a huge amount today and it was an extraordinary moment to be here when the news of the sad death of Lionel Blue's death emerged and to see what impact this had on the newsroom."

Mrs Mendelsohn, who is Facebook’s Vice-President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, was awarded a CBE for services to the creative industry in 2015 and was once described as "the most powerful British woman in the tech industry."

Her career in the advertising industry now spans almost 25 years. Prior to the latest Facebook role Mrs Mendelsohn had been deputy chairwoman of top advertising agency Grey London before becoming partner and executive chair with the Karmarama agency.

But she said guest-editing the JC had given her a unique insight into the news gathering process for both print and digital versions of the publication: “You realise the richness and the volume of stories that have the possibility of appearing throughout the week.

"You also have to work out which stories are time sensitive and need to be published online immediately and which stories can wait.

"There is also the need to balance the different parts of the newspaper depending on what is happening in the world that week.

"Like all industries, they all also have their own jargon. I've already learnt what a 'splash' and a 'flatplan' is!

“It is such an honour to be editing the JC on the week of Chanukah.”

She has long campaigned for companies to offer flexible working hours, arguing it is outdated to insist that the traditional "nine to five" work structure is the best way of getting the most out of people.

The mother-of-four is also a firm believer in securing improved roles for women in business, hosting a series of high-profile events including Women's Leadership Day.