The Australian Financial Review’s lifestyle coverage has been strengthened with four key appointments.
Lauren Sams will take the reins as editor of Fin Magazine, the Financial Review’s seasonal glossy publication.
Sams, who has been the Financial Review’s fashion editor since joining the masthead in 2019, will replace Matthew Drummond. Drummond will continue as editor of the monthly AFR Magazine.
As for her plans for 2025, Sams is promising to give the magazine a fresh look with the addition of “new formats and features, including beauty and wellness.”
Before joining the Financial Review, Sams was features director at ELLE Australia and has also worked at Cosmopolitan and delicious.com.au.
Anna McCooe has been appointed senior travel writer at the Financial Review.
The experienced travel journalist will take on a newly created role overseeing travel content across the masthead, including afr.com, the daily newspaper, Life & Leisure, AFR Magazine, and Fin Magazine.
In her most recent role, McCooe was deputy editor of Gourmet Traveller. Prior to that, she was travel and lifestyle editor at Marie Claire, where she launched Marie Claire Lifestyle in 2019.
Jessica Beresford will step into the role of associate editor of Life & Leisure.
Beresford joins the Financial Review’s weekly lifestyle insert from the Financial Times, where she served as a contributing editor and fashion features editor for its luxury glossy, HTSI.
Additionally, Maria Shollenbarger will contribute a regular travel column for AFR Magazine. Alongside her contributions to both AFR Magazine and Fin Magazine, Shollenbarger is the travel editor for HTSI at the Financial Times.
The masthead’s editor, Matthew Drummond, stated, “The appointments demonstrate our commitment to ensuring the Financial Review’s lifestyle offering has the same authority as the rest of our award-winning journalism.”
According to the latest Roy Morgan readership figures for the September quarter, the Financial Review had a combined print and digital readership of 3.5 million. AFR Magazine recorded a print readership of 502,000, up 1% year-on-year, and is now more than three times larger than its main competitor. Fin Magazine reported a readership of 101,000, up 7% year-on-year.