GEORGE WILL HEAD NEW WWD GROUP
NEW YORK — Stephanie George has been named president of the newly formed Women’s Wear Daily Group as part of a sweeping reorganization of Fairchild Publications, it was announced Wednesday by Mary Berner, Fairchild’s president and chief executive officer.
George will be responsible for overseeing WWD and all related properties, including Internet publications, conferences and trade shows, and the development of a domestic and international expansion strategy. She was previously executive vice president of Fairchild.
George has been with Fairchild Publications since 1987, having played a key role in the relaunch of Los Angeles magazine, the launch of Jane and the climb in ad pages and revenue of WWD and W to new heights — now second only to Vogue (the revenue from W alone jumped from $19 million in 1992 to $60 million in 1999). She joined the company in Atlanta in 1988 to head WWD’s sales in the Southern bureau.
“I’m thrilled to be back home, working on the flagship of the company,” George said.
“In our short association, it became clear to me what everyone already knows — that Stephanie is one the most talented executives in the business,” said Berner.
“Her performance has been nothing short of brilliant. I’ve no doubt whatsoever that under her leadership and with her singular focus, WWD and all of our businesses that fall under the WWD umbrella will show extraordinary growth.”
Ralph Erardy has been promoted from vice president-publisher of WWD to senior vice president/publisher of Home Furnishings Network (HFN).
“As part of this reorganization, we’ve decided to invest in the relaunching of HFN, one of the strongest trade brands in the business, and there is no better person to lead this magazine back to where it belongs than Ralph,” explained Berner.
“A seasoned troubleshooter as well as an aggressive seller, Ralph has distinguished himself throughout his career at Fairchild. In his new role, he will lead the team that will put HFN back into its aggressive growth mode.”
Other developments in the reorganization include:
Lynette Harrison has been named publisher of WWD. She had been publisher of W. A 10-year veteran of the publishing industry, Harrison began her career as assistant to the publisher of W.
One year later, she moved to the promotion department as a copywriter, then merchandising manager, where she traveled the country, hosting nearly 50 W-sponsored fashion shows each year at the top stores and shopping centers. In 1994, she became editor-in-chief of Fairchild Publications’ Salon News, a trade magazine for professional salon and day spa owners. In 1996, she returned to W as retail director, then associate publisher, and finally publisher in August 1998. Under Harrison’s leadership, W had a banner year in 1999, increasing revenue by 11 percent.
Lorin Bernstein Litner has been named publisher of W. She had been publisher of Jane. A 12-year veteran of Fairchild, Litner began her career as an account executive at WWD, moving over to W, where she rose through the ranks.
As sales development manager, Litner implemented new advertising and marketing ideas when W relaunched in 1994 from a broadsheet format to its current format. Litner expanded circulation from 250,000 to 325,000 and, in 1996, closed with a record-breaking 1,586 ad pages. She became Jane’s first publisher in October 1996.
Eva Dillon succeeds Litner as publisher of Jane, from her associate publisher’s post at Glamour. At Glamour, Dillon led the sales staff through four record years in advertising sales.
A seasoned publishing executive, Dillon worked in senior beauty advertising positions at Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and The New Yorker. She was also New York manager at YM, New York regional director at TV Guide and advertising director at Country America.
Patricia Beegle has been named publisher of Brand Marketing. She had been associate publisher/marketing of WWD. Beegle joined Fairchild in 1995 from DuPont, where she was a marketing representative.
During her tenure at WWD, she has distinguished herself in the marketing arena, as well as effectively developing the paper’s marketing and media business.
Melissa Ecker Post has been appointed associate publisher of WWD, from her position as special project manager of W. Post joined W in 1997 from the agency business and was quickly promoted to her most recent position, where she helped to significantly diversify W’s business.
Sally Whaling has been named ad director of Jane. She had been New York manager of Glamour. Whaling served as beauty advertising director and Midwest manager of Glamour, where she was the recipient of the 1997 Rising Star Award and the 1998 Phoenix Award for the most significant improvement of a portfolio.
Howard Grier has been appointed creative services director of Jane, from director of marketing and promotion at Glamour. Grier was responsible for the development of the successful strategy and implementation of Glamour’s marketing plans during its most successful years. Earlier, he was marketing director at Harper’s Bazaar and had various creative services posts at Details, Vogue and Esquire.
Lisa Phillips has been named senior vice president/operations of WWD and Consumer Magazines, from her post as senior vice president/managing director. Phillips started at W as business manager and, through various corporate roles, has played an integral role in the company’s growth.
In her new role, she’ll help build the WWD franchise as well as the Consumer Magazine division.
Paul White has been promoted to vice president/senior business manager, from senior business manager.