Joanna Coles

Joanna Louise Coles was born on Apr. 20, 1962 in Yorkshire, England. Following graduation from the University of East Anglia, where she studied English and American literature, Coles took her first step into the realm of professional journalism with a position at the conservative political publication, The Spectator. Coles remained in the United Kingdom until 1997, at which point she relocated to New York City to accept a position as the bureau chief for the local branch of the international publication The Guardian. Soon after, she became a columnist for The Times of London, and then the Editor-in-Chief of the Hearst Communications subsidiary Marie Claire in 2006. Six years later, she moved beneath the Hearst umbrella to Cosmopolitan, serving as Editor-in-Chief for the magazine for two years before being named Editorial Director of Hearst proper. She maintained her direct attachment to Cosmopolitan until 2016, at which point Coles pioneered the title of Chief Content Officer for Hearst overall.