Former Telegraph and Times journalist Joanna Coles wins top job at Cosmopolitan USA

Former Daily Telegraph and Guardian staffer Joanna Coles has been appointed editor in chief of Cosmopolitan – the biggest selling monthl magazine in the US.

Coles, 50, is graduate of the University of East Anglia and began her journalism career in 1984 on The Spectator.

For the last six years Coles has been editor of the US edition of Marie Claire.

Here is the full press release from Hearst Magazines revealing her promotion:

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 10th, 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 U.S. 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.