Hearst, one of the world's largest magazine publishers, announced today that Joanna Coles, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, will be the new editorial director of Seventeen. Ann Shoket, who has been at the helm of the teen magazine for seven years, will be stepping down. Cosmo's senior vice president/publishing director Donna Kalajian Lagani will be taking on marketing and publishing duties for Seventeen as well.
The move reflects Hearst's continuing commitment to reaching all millennial women.
"Both brands enjoy strong advertising support from a similar group of national marketers across a range of categories," David Carey, president of Hearst Magazine Group, said in a statement. "Joanna will work with Seventeen’s editors, and Donna with the sales and marketing teams, to further cement its place as the No. 1 teen magazine media brand in the country.
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Cosmo is the world's largest young women's magazine brand, with over 17 million readers each month. Coles has made huge strides at the publication since joining in 2012, including winning Cosmo's first National Magazine Award in 2014 and launching #CosmoVotes this fall.
"Cosmo and Seventeen are both iconic brands that dominate their respective markets,” Coles said in the press release. “Together, their reach spans the entire millennial generation, a consumer base poised to drive the economy for many years to come."
Anna Wintour received a similar promotion in the spring of 2013, when she was named artistic director of Condé Nast, giving her expanded responsibilities across all publications and platforms within the company.
It will be interesting to see how Coles extends her influence over Seventeen — no doubt she'll continue to promote her unique brand of girl power that makes Cosmo so successful.
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