Kerrie McCallum doesn’t just lead some of Australia’s biggest lifestyle media brands — she builds them. As head of food, travel and health at News Corp Australia, McCallum oversees a portfolio of powerhouse titles, including delicious., taste.com.au, body+soul, and Escape. But what makes her approach unique is how she combines gut instinct with hard data to grow these brands across multiple platforms, and deliver for both audiences and advertisers.
“I like launching things and building out brands,” McCallum told Mediaweek. “That’s one factor that I enjoy. My teams also include very good people, many of whom I’ve worked with for a long time. We have a shorthand for working together quickly and efficiently.’
Building brands with purpose and process
With over 25 years in publishing, McCallum has held senior editorial roles across fashion, food, travel, and health, a track record that gives her the confidence to move quickly, but also the wisdom to slow down and study a brand deeply before changing it.
“My family and friends might not think I’m a methodical person,” she laughs, “but when it comes to building out a brand, there’s a method to my madness.”
That method includes aligning editorial direction with audience needs, commercial goals, and market opportunities, an approach she applies consistently, whether she’s onboarding a new brand like taste.com.au, or refreshing a legacy title.
“The most important thing I’ve learned is never to assume you know it or that it’s easy,” she says. “When I think about moving from fashion to food, then to travel – it’s a whole new world each time. Travel looks so fun and fabulous, but it’s a multi-layered, competitive, global industry. And mass food is very different from premium food.”
Powering growth with the News Corp Australia network
What sets McCallum apart is how effectively she harnesses the wider News Corp Australia ecosystem – in particular the Growth Intelligence Centre (GIC), marketing, and commercial teams – to fuel audience engagement and advertiser outcomes.
“I love looking at a brand and figuring out where the opportunity is to grow it,” she says. “Often we’ll start with our GIC, then bring in the commercial and marketing teams to align on the opportunity we have. That’s when the creative part begins, how do we grow and evolve it while protecting the core?’
That rigorous process helps ensure that every move is audience-led and commercially viable. It also means clients benefit from data-informed solutions, not just creative flair.
“I used to do things based on gut feel,” McCallum reflects. “Now, I start with a gut feeling, but I validate it with the data before I move forward. I’ve made mistakes in the past by changing things the audience loved – you learn not to assume.”
This approach has paid off across her entire portfolio. The News Food Network now reaches 6.23 million food lovers every month*, the News Health Network reaches 5.4 million Australians*, and the News Travel Network helps more than 5.89 million* Australians plan and book their holidays.
Leading Australia’s top lifestyle media brands
McCallum is the editorial lead for Escape, the country’s most influential travel media brand. Under her watch, the Sunday edition hit maximum capacity, leading to the launch of a new Tuesday section, driven by advertiser demand and high reader propensity to transact within 48 hours of Sunday’s content.
“We know our readers act quickly after seeing the big Sunday edition,” she says. “So clients were asking for a new environment to capture that intent. The beauty of the model is that regionals and metros can pick it up – it’s built within our national system, and clients have jumped on that.”
She points to the partnership with Flight Centre as a strong launch case, with more interest continuing to build.
“Clients might be talking to the sales team, but they like talking to someone in editorial who can say, ‘OK, you’re looking to target luxury cruisers who may not think cruising is for them, here’s what we can do to engage them across our network.'”
Her multi-brand oversight means McCallum can help advertisers connect the dots across categories, building holistic campaigns that resonate across food, health, and travel.
“Travel interlinks with all of my categories,” she says. “Food is a major motivator for travel, and so is health and wellness. So from an editorial and commercial perspective, we can build out really strong, integrated campaigns.”
McCallum is also the editorial director of Travel + Luxury, Body+Soul, delicious., and taste.com.au – each playing a distinct role in the network.
Recently, she describes how Body+Soul underwent a makeover after internal research revealed Australian’s attitude towards health had changes drastically in the wake of COVID.
“Our values had shifted,” McCallum explains. “It was no longer about weight loss, it was about happiness. That helped shape how we rebuilt our pillars – from progress over perfection to digital detox, sex and relationships, and wellness travel.”
The Body+Soul team also partnered with Chemist Warehouse to build the House of Wellness platform, which has seen 20% growth in organic traffic and a 60% reduction in bounce rate.
“It’s been an incredible model,” says McCallum. “They work closely with us to ensure it fits within our brand and has real context.”
Building for advertisers
McCallum says she believes her years of experience have given her a deep understanding of editorial, audience, and advertising goals allowing her to act as a bridge between commercial and content – a role that brands value more than ever.
“Clients love ideas,” she says. “They especially love launching exclusive projects or having something built for them. That’s something a lot of our travel clients are looking for – a creative solution that’s also strategic.”
Whether she’s expanding sections to meet advertiser demand, collaborating on wellness content that aligns with market shifts, or tapping into cross-category insights to connect audiences with brands, McCallum keeps one thing constant: her focus on building brands that matter.
“It’s not like I got it all at once,” she reflects. “I might launch something and then grow to learn a new pillar, and just as I’m feeling comfortable, I might get something new to challenge me. But I like being challenged.”
*Roy Morgan Single Source Australia; Jan 24 – Dec 24; P14+; Last 4 weeks