Joanna Coles Named Editor-in-Chief of U.S. Cosmopolitan

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Sep 4, 2012) - Hearst Magazines President David Carey today announced that Joanna Coles has been appointed editor-in-chief of U.S. Cosmopolitan, the world's largest women's magazine and the biggest-selling monthly magazine on U.S. newsstands and a leader in the digital, social media and tablet space. Coles, who had been editor-in-chief of Marie Claire since April 2006, replaces longtime editor Kate White, who has decided to shift focus to her already successful writing and speaking career. White will be staying on at Hearst as an advisor. Coles starts in her new role on September 10^th, and will report to Carey.

"Joanna has done an incredible job at Marie Claire over the past six years. Her great success in television and social media, her sharp instinct about women and what they want, and her experience working on a global brand make her an ideal choice for the editor role at Cosmo," said Carey.

"Kate is a huge talent who not only maintained Cosmo's leadership position over the past 14 years but also launched many brand extensions, including Cosmo Radio, bestselling books and a popular tablet edition," added Carey. "She leaves big shoes -- or should I say stilettos -- to fill and we have no doubt she'll continue to reach bestseller status in her post-Cosmo career."

During her tenure, Coles, 50, helped reinvent the U.S. edition of Marie Claire into the successful brand it is today. The September 2012 issue of Marie Claire was the largest in the magazine's history in terms of advertising pages and, under Coles, the brand launched two successful extensions, Marie Claire @Work, and the Women on Top Awards. In 2011, Coles was named Adweek's Editor of the Year and Marie Claire was named to the Adweek Hot List. Under her editorship the magazine has won numerous awards for its journalism.

In 2008, Coles produced Running In Heels, a reality show about the magazine, set in the offices of Marie Claire, which aired on Style Network and was syndicated to 16 countries. In addition, she hired Nina Garcia as fashion director of Marie Claire and the magazine became part of Lifetime's Emmy-winning show Project Runway. In 2012, Coles served as the on-air mentor on the spinoff series Project Runway All Stars.

"Cosmopolitan is an iconic brand that resonates with women worldwide," says Coles. "To be able to take over the flagship edition is both a huge challenge and an incredible opportunity. I relish the chance to put my stamp on Cosmo and make it the young woman's ultimate playbook for confidence, choices and navigating change."

Prior to Marie Claire, she was executive editor of More (September 2004 to April 2006) and Articles Editor of New York Magazine (September 2001 to August 2004.)

Coles arrived in the USA in June 1997 as The Guardian's New York bureau chief, traveling widely across America to cover news and current events. In July 1998, she became the New York columnist for The Times of London and was a frequent contributor to the BBC. In addition she has been a regular contributor on cultural and social affairs for ABC, CNN and MSNBC.

Previously, she was on staff at The Guardian, and founded and presented a media show for the BBC. From 1987 to 1989 she was a reporter for The Daily Telegraph. She started her career at The (UK) Spectator magazine in 1984.

Coles graduated from the University of East Anglia in the U.K. with a B.A. (Hons) in English and American literature. She is a founding member of the American Friends of the Royal Court Theater.

She is the co-author of the Three of Us, a book about moving to New York with her husband, the author and screenwriter, Peter Godwin. The couple lives in Manhattan with their two sons.

For more information and visual assets, please visit: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sept4

About Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (www.cosmopolitan.com) is the best-selling young women's magazine in the U.S., a bible for fun, fearless females that reaches more than 18 million readers a month. Cosmopolitan delivers the latest news on men and love, fashion and beauty, women's health and self-improvement, and entertainment. Readers can also interact with the brand on the digital front, with Cosmopolitan.com, reaching 8.5 million unique users a month. Cosmopolitan is also available on apps for the iPhone and iPad, and via Cosmo Radio, the only magazine-branded radio channel of its kind, available on Sirius XM Channel 109. In addition to the U.S. flagship, Cosmopolitan publishes 64 editions around the world distributed in 100 countries. Cosmopolitan is published by Hearst Magazines, a unit of Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com), one of the nation's largest diversified communications companies. With its acquisition of Lagardère SCA's 100 titles in 14 countries outside of France, Hearst Magazines now publishes more than 300 editions around the world, including 20 U.S. titles. Hearst Magazines is the largest publisher of monthly magazines in the U.S. (ABC 2011) and reaches 82 million adults (Spring 2012 MRI). Follow Cosmopolitan on Twitter at @Cosmopolitan.

About Hearst Magazines
Hearst Magazines is a unit of Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com), one of the nation's largest diversified communications companies. Hearst Magazines is the largest publisher of monthly magazines in the U.S. (ABC 2011), reaching 82 million adults (Spring 2012 MRI) with its 20 titles. In addition, the company publishes more than 300 editions around the world. Hearst Magazines Digital Media, dedicated to creating and implementing Hearst Magazines' digital strategy, has more than 28 websites and 14 mobile sites for brands such as Cosmopolitan, Popular Mechanics, ELLE, ELLE DECOR, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire and Seventeen, as well as digital-only sites such as Delish.com, a food site in partnership with MSN; MisQuinceMag.com; and RealBeauty.com. Hearst Magazines has published more than 150 applications and digital editions for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, as well as the Droid platform. In addition, the company includes iCrossing, a global digital marketing agency.