News Corp Australia has unveiled plans to expand its health and wellness offering, to bolster growth opportunities and establish the category as a new pillar to sit alongside Travel and Food.
Fiona Nilsson will add to her remit, becoming managing director, Food, Health and Travel, while Kerrie McCallum will oversee the network’s editorial direction, adding to her premium food and travel portfolios as editorial director of Premium Food, Health and Travel.
McCallum will assume editorial oversight of Body+Soul, along with premium food brand delicious. and travel brands Escape and Travel + Luxury.
Nilsson will drive the investment in leading health brand Body+Soul – including the weekly print insert in the company’s Sunday mastheads, website, video content, podcast series’ and social channels.
Nilsson said people are more actively engaged in health in the post-COVID era with new research conducted by News Corp Australia in collaboration with strategic research agency The Lab distilling the emotional connections Australian consumers have towards the health and wellbeing category.
“The study has identified opportunities in the category and we are using these findings to inform our health and wellness growth strategy and to build a roadmap to guide our expansion,” she said.
“I’m really pleased Kerrie will oversee the editorial strategy for our evolving health offering. She is a very talented editor with a strong track record in developing products that connect with both consumers and clients,” Nilsson added.
Kerrie McCallum
Sarrah Le Marquand, current editor-in-chief of Body+Soul, will establish a new national entertainment network designed to maximise coverage of celebrity news, premium interviews and exclusive photo shoots across the group, as part of a fresh focus on entertainment news across digital and print.
In addition to her newly expanded role as national entertainment editorial director, Le Marquand will continue in her role as editor-in-chief of premium weekend entertainment news brand, Stellar magazine, and national weekend TV, movie and streaming liftout, The Binge Guide.
National weekend editor Mick Carroll said: “Sarrah and her team have done a tremendous job of establishing Stellar as the number one destination for exclusive celebrity news and interviews and she will leverage her expertise and Stellar’s reputation to expand entertainment coverage and improve our premium digital celebrity offering.”
Nilsson also announced a number of other key appointments to build out the health and wellness team to steer the category’s growth.
Jacqui Mooney joins News Corp Australia as editor-in-chief of Body+Soul. Mooney is a highly experienced leader in the health and wellness category and has edited international mastheads such as Women’s Health and Prevention and spearheaded large campaigns including Women in Sport.
Sarah Hughes has been appointed creative director of Body+Soul, joining the business from Marie Claire where she was creative director of the title.
John Hannan, who has been instrumental in growing audience and engagement across the premium food and travel portfolios, including delicious. and Escape digital, social and video channels, will now also lead the health and wellness digital content and audience strategy as digital director, delicious., Body+Soul, and Escape.
All appointments are effective from December 2022.
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Top image: Fiona Nilsson