Anna Wintour now has an even loftier title at Condé Nast.
Wintour, who is already the editor in chief of Vogue US and artistic director and global content advisor of Condé Nast, will now also serve as chief content officer for the magazine conglomerate, a position in which she will oversee all brands including international editions. Condé Nast’s portfolio includes The New Yorker, Glamour and Wired.
The move is part of Condé Nast’s effort to bring together its US and global operations as it seeks profitability. Wintour will stay especially close to Vogue, serving as the brand’s global editorial director.
The promotion comes amid a turbulent year and a reckoning over diversity at Condé Nast that prompted speculation over Wintour’s future. In a staff memo in June, Wintour admitted that Vogue has made mistakes that were “hurtful or intolerant” to Black creators. “I take full responsibility for those mistakes,” she wrote.
Wintour’s memo came shortly after Adam Rapoport resigned as editor in chief of Bon Appétit over accusations of bias and a discriminatory culture. Rapoport apologized for his “failings.” Wintour then helped recruit Dawn Davis, a Black executive in book publishing, to take on the open role.
Condé Nast, like most companies in media, faced financial stress from the pandemic. In May, Condé Nast laid off about 100 US staffers as part of its “cost reduction plan for the COVID-19 crisis,” CEO Roger Lynch said at the time.
In a Wall Street Journal interview published Tuesday, Lynch declined to comment on Condé Nast’s financial performance in 2020, other than to say the company “projected double-digit percentage revenue growth and 25% more editorial spending next year.”
“Anna’s appointment represents a pivotal moment for Condé Nast as her ability to stay ahead in connecting with new audiences, while cultivating and mentoring some of today’s brightest talent in the industry, has made her one of media’s most distinguished executives,” Lynch said in a statement on Tuesday.
As part of the strategy for bringing its US and international operations together, Condé Nast also announced several appointments to the new position of global editorial directors for a few of its magazines. The editor in chief of GQ US, Will Welch, has been named global editorial director of GQ. The editor in chief of AD, Amy Astley, has been named global editorial director of the brand, also known as Architectural Digest. The editor in chief of CN Traveller India, Divia Thani, has been named global editorial director of Condé Nast Traveler.
Two of the company’s biggest magazines will still have separate US and international leadership, however. Edward Enninful, editor in chief of British Vogue, was named European editorial director for the markets owned and operated by Condé Nast, including the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain. Simone Marchetti, editor in chief of Vanity Fair Italia, was promoted to European editorial director of Vanity Fair, overseeing editions in France, Italy and Spain.
