Hearst Magazines Announces New Editorial and Publishing Leadership Roles

Hearst Magazines announced new roles and responsibilities across its portfolio of brands, which reflect an evolution for the organization toward a unified approach to content creation, sales and marketing. The announcement was made by Hearst President and CEO Steven R. Swartz and Hearst Magazines President Troy Young.

“Our magazines will always play an integral role and we are fully committed to them. The complementary strengths of our offerings are what gives us our unique position in today’s highly competitive media marketplace,” Young said. “Our teams are embracing cross-platform brand alignment, which will foster even greater idea sharing, more ambitious content creation and the development of strategic business initiatives, all of which benefit our audience, both consumer and commercial. As we continue to evolve, we will combine editorial intuition with audience insights and data to create unique and purposeful experiences for our readers.”

New editorial leadership roles, reporting to Hearst Magazines Chief Content Officer Kate Lewis:

• Richard Dorment, editor-in-chief of Men’s Health since March 2018, adds MensHealth.com to his purview. Dorment was previously a senior editor at WIRED, and before that, was at Esquire from 2006 to 2016.
• Women’s Health Editor-in-Chief Liz Plosser will oversee print and digital content for the brand. Plosser joined Women’s Health in January from Well+Good, where she was vice president of content. Previously, Plosser was director of content and communications at SoulCycle and before that, she was deputy editor at SELF and senior health and fitness editor at Cosmopolitan.
• Ryan D’Agostino, editor-in-chief of Popular Mechanics, adds responsibility for the brand’s digital operations. Before joining Popular Mechanics in 2014, D’Agostino was articles editor at Esquire, which he joined in 2006.
• Jessica Pels has been named editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, the world’s largest young women’s magazine media brand, overseeing content strategy and editorial operations in print, digital, social and video. Pels held senior editorial roles at Glamour and Teen Vogue before joining Hearst Magazines in 2014. She was previously digital director of Cosmopolitan.com. The brand achieved record traffic of more than 26 million unique visitors in May. Pels replaces Michele Promaulayko, who is leaving the company.
• Joanna Saltz has been named editorial director of House Beautiful, directing print and digital content across platforms. Saltz joined Hearst Magazines in 2004 as deputy editor of Seventeen. She was promoted to executive editorand went on to hold the same role at Food Network Magazine. In 2015, she moved into a digital role to relaunch Delish as a video-first digital destination for food lovers. Saltz added editorial direction of HouseBeautiful.com in June, and she will continue to oversee both brands. Saltz replaces Sophie Donelson, who is leaving the company.
• Kristin Koch has been named executive director of Seventeen.com and will oversee all content for the brand. A further evolution of the brand’s digital-first strategy, Koch–who was previously digital director–will also edit Seventeen’s print issues. She replaces Joey Bartolomeo, who is leaving the company.
• Steele Marcoux has been named editor-in-chief of VERANDA, leading editorial initiatives across print and digital for theluxury interior design brand.Marcoux was most recently style director of Country Living. Previously, she was editor-in-chief of Coastal Living and before that, executive editor of Country Living. VERANDA’s editorial operations will move to Birmingham, Alabama, expanding Hearst Magazines’ footprint in the region.

“These versatile editors are experts at creating content and experiences that engage and entertain audiences,” Lewis said. “They understand their readers in a very profound way, and they’re passionate about producing stories in all formats, on all platforms, that inform, surprise, drive conversation and create a feeling of community.”

“Michele, Sophie and Joey are outstanding editors and have served Hearst well,” Young added. “We thank them for their creativity and leadership and wish them the very best.”

New business leadership roles, reporting to Michael Clinton, Hearst Magazines president, marketing and publishing director:

• Pat Haegele, senior vice president, group publishing director of the Women’s Lifestyle Group, adds a publishing strategy function to her role, with a focus on maximizing efforts in the marketplace and generating new revenue opportunities. Haegele oversees sales, marketing and brand strategy for Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Woman’s Day, Redbook and Prevention. She joined Hearst Magazines more than two decades ago as the publisher of Good Housekeeping.
• Jack Essig, senior vice president, publishing director of Esquire and Popular Mechanics, expands his responsibilities to include Men’s Health, Runner’s World and Bicycling. Paul Collins, publisher and chief revenue officer of Runner’s World and Bicycling will report to Essig. Essig joined Hearst Magazines in 2011 as senior vice president, publishing director, and chief revenue officer of Esquire and its Men’s Enthusiast Group. Previously, he was publisher of Men’s Health. Ronan Gardiner will be leaving the company.

“Pat and Jack have done an exceptional job during their time at the company, creating innovative, never-before-done programs for advertisers. They have both played instrumental roles in driving our business forward and I look forward to them doing that in an even more ambitious and collaborative way,” Young said. “We thank Ronan for his contributions to the company.”

In addition, Redbook will be an online-only destination after the January 2019 issue.

“Redbook has a long, proud history of informing and enlightening its audience, and it’s been part of our portfolio for more than 35 years,” said Young. “We thank the team for their dedication and contributions to the magazine.”

About Hearst Magazines

Hearst Magazines is one of the world’s largest publishers of magazine media across all platforms, with print and digital assets reaching a combined audience of 145 million readers and site visitors each month, including over 70 percent of all women and more than three-quarters of millennial women in the country. The company publishes more than 300 editions and 240 websites around the world, with 25 titles in the U.S. The division also operates iCrossing, a global, full-service digital marketing agency, and CDS Global, a business process provider. Hearst Magazines holds a majority stake in KUBRA, a customer experience management solutions company, and is a partner with Condé Nast in the publishing services company PubWorX.