Hearst Magazines has announced the appointment of Phebe Hunnicutt to the position of digital director for its fashion title ELLE UK.
Hunnicutt will shortly leave her role as managing editor at AOL Women’s Group to join ELLE on March 13.
At ELLE, Hunnicutt will manage the ELLE website, www.elleuk.com, and help develop and manage the editorial and commercial digital strategy across the brand’s platforms including web, print and digital.
Hunnicutt’s experience in digital publishing and journalism comes from previous positions at fashion websites including MyDaily and StyleList.com. She joined AOL as style editor at StyleList.com in New York in 2008 before moving to London to work at AOL’s MyDaily.co.uk as managing editor.
ELLE’s magazine and website reaches a combine total of 1,094,000 readers, while its social media reach stands as 972,999 across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
ELLE’s editor-in-chief Lorraine Candy said of the appointment “ELLE's unique multi-platform approach means we are able to attract highly skilled talent from the digital arena. This exciting appointment will further shape our ‘omnichannel’ strategy and drive our numbers even higher in the luxury market.”
Hunnicutt added: "I am thrilled to be joining the ELLE team. I have always admired the brand, its reputation in print is unmatched, and its online presence grows more impressive by the day. The opportunity to help continue the evolution of ELLE's digital business, increasing engagement with the magazine's loyal audience and introducing the publication to new readers, is an incredibly exciting one."