Anne Fulenwider was named Editor-in-Chief of the U.S. edition of Marie Claire in September 2012. She oversees all content for the brand’s print magazine, website, tablet editions and brand extensions, including Marie Claire @Work and the brand’s partnership with Lifetime Television’s “Project Runway” series.
In 2015, Fulenwider was named Editor of the Year by FOLIO: Magazine and in 2016, FOLIO named Fulenwider a Women in Media Industry Leader.
Before taking the editor-in-chief role at Marie Claire, Fulenwider had been editor-in-chief of Brides since October 2011. Prior to that, she served as executive editor of Marie Claire for two years, starting in September 2009.
Previously, Fulenwider served as senior articles editor at Vanity Fair, where she edited features and launched the Fanfair section of the magazine in March 2000. Prior to Vanity Fair, Fulenwider was a senior editor at The Paris Review and served as George Plimpton’s research assistant on his book “Truman Capote.”
In 2013, Fulenwider was named Media Industry Newsletter’s “Editor of the Year,” and she serves on the boards of several prominent organizations, including the ANNpower Vital Voices Advisory Council (since 2013), the ITVS Women & Girls Lead Leadership Council (since 2014), and All in Together, Women Leading Change.
Fulenwider graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in English and American Literature from Harvard University in 1995.
Nancy Berger was named Vice President and Publisher of Marie Claire magazine, a joint venture between Hearst Magazines and Marie Claire Album, in December of 2009. In October 2012, Berger was honored by Ad Age as “Publisher of the Year” and Marie Claire was named “Magazine of the Year” on the annual “A List.” In 2014, Marie Claire received Ad Age’s Top Ten Magazine Covers of the Year for the August 2014 denim issue and was fifth for the Magazine A-List Awards. In 2015, Berger was named a Top Woman in Media by FOLIO: Magazine and in 2016, Marie Claire was named one of the 30 Hottest Launches in the Last 30 Years by the Media Industry Newsletter.
Berger has also led the brand to innovative new developments, including Marie Claire @Work, the Marie Claire Fall Fashion A to Z iPad app and the revolutionary ad unit, the Marie Claire “Cling.”
Previous to Marie Claire, Berger spent eight years as vice president/publisher of Allure and was most recently vice president/publisher of Gourmet magazine.
Berger was Vice President and Publisher of Allure, from 2001 – 2008, during which the magazine achieved unprecedented revenue, with seven consecutive years of growth.
Prior to that, from 1994 - 2000, Berger held several positions at Vanity Fair. Originally hired as their Advertising Manager, she quickly advanced to Advertising Director and subsequently to Associate Publisher. In addition, Berger has worked in database marketing for the Cowles Thomas Travel Group, where she served as VP Marketing Director. Berger began her career working in the travel trade arena, including Meeting News and Hotel and Travel Index publications.
Nancy Berger holds a B.S. in Marketing from Rutgers University.
How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
Anne Fulenwider: Well I am an older sister so I have always been a bit bossy. And I discovered when I edited my high school newspaper that I really liked to lead a team-- not just the bossing people around part but also collaborating with smart people. As I came up in the industry I worked for great bosses, all of who had their unique leadership style, and I cribbed a little from each. From George Plimpton I learned to champion good work; from Graydon Carter I learned to demand excellence, and put my foot down when I needed to, and from Joanna Coles I learned to give everyone a chance. And then there is nothing like just being thrown in to the frying pan as a first time editor in chief. A lot of what I learned about leadership I learned on the job. I am a much better leader now than I was when I started.
Nancy Berger: Growing up, I moved every four years, and as a result, I learned how to rise to the occasion for change. It’s also about feeling comfortable in unfamiliar situations in order to bring your past experiences to your next project, position, etc. and be able to evolve. Because the The truth is in business - just like life - you have to be able to ride the waves.
How has your previous employment experience aided your tenure at Marie Claire?
Anne Fulenwider: My first real job in New York was at the Paris Review-- I was George Plimpton’s assistant, which meant that I did everything from answer his phone to type his letters to order the booze for his parties to help him finish his oral biography of Truman Capote. I learned there that even when you are doing the most menial tasks, you can pick up a lot from the people around you if you pay attention. I left there to go join Vanity Fair, where I worked my way up from assistant to senior editor. At both places, I learned the importance of remaining curious about the world. I've said that before, but I really can't stress it enough — and I love that about New York. I've been in New York for 20 years. It's just the idea that there's another adventure around the corner; you have to have your eyes open, be curious and you never know when you might come across your next big story.
Nancy Berger: I learned early on in my career that bringing great brands to life, and creating big ideas around that concept, keeps a brand relevant and vital by building both an advertiser base and a consumer base. Bringing magazines to life to drive retail traffic and to create experiences I have found has always been a winning formula. You just have to find the right concept that speaks to your brand and audience which is what we’ve done here at Marie Claire with #ShoesFirst, #GetFramed, Power Trip and The Next Big Thing Concept Shop
What have the highlights and challenges been during your tenure at Marie Claire?
Anne Fulenwider: This year marks my fifth anniversary as editor in chief of Marie Claire and it’s been a wild and wonderful ride. In my time as editor, we have created 25 new initiatives including Image Makers—our annual event honoring behind-the-scenes talent of artists, designers, and stylists; Fresh Faces—our spotlight on up-and-coming talents today; the New Guard list, a part of our November Power issue, which honors 50 of today’s most innovative and enterprising women; and Power Trip—taking flight today on #NationalBossDay (October 16), which takes the idea of a women’s conference and turns it on its head. We bring 100 power women from the East Coast to meet 100 power women on the West coast for a 36-hour bi-coastal celebration that begins in the sky.
Nancy Berger: The change in the media landscape. Our advertisers have also been challenged in their businesses which we feel and have to adapt to as well. But while it’s a challenge it also provides us an opportunity to differentiate ourselves and really hone is on a consistent DNA for the brand.
I would say one of my biggest highlights has been the @Work franchise. It was completely white space when we created the platform in 2011. There wasn’t much focusing on the conversation around successful power women and so we created a space for those stories to be shared for other successful women to read as well as the next generation who was looking to those women as their inspiration and guiding light. We started the dialogue for luxury and designer brands to start to thinking about professional women as a growing, and consumer segment. It also gave us an opportunity to build out the conversation, in-book and online, socially.
Since its launch @Work has become a global platform of Marie Claire. There isn’t one edition around the world that doesn’t have an @Work component to it.
What advice can you offer to women who want a career in your industry?
Anne Fulenwider: Remain open to the unknown, take risks, and go for the big opportunities! In 2011, I got a call from Condé Nast saying they had an editor in chief job open but they wouldn’t tell me what it was. When they finally let me know it was to be editor in chief of Brides, I thought, ‘Huh. Well, that’s not what I thought it was going to be, but this could be a really great way to learn how to be an editor-in-chief.’ It was a really intense nine months and I felt like I was just getting the hang of it. And I got this call from Hearst that there was going to be an opening at the top of Marie Claire. Having been the number-two editor at Marie Claire, I saw very closely what it was like to be number one, and I was really interested in that. After initially turning it down, I thought to myself, ‘How am I going to feel when they announce the person who got the job?’... My heart would sink ... I just thought, ‘I can’t sit there on that day of that announcement and not have it be me.’” I was sort of like, close your eyes and jump.
Nancy Berger: There is no linear path to success. In the media industry, you have to understand content, marketing, and technology and how those three things converge. You have to stay personally plugged in to all forms of media. You have to be active on social, active on LinkedIn, and you have to be an early adopter for what’s new and be able to see if that will fit into the ecosystem that’s already established. I always say, “you always have to have your antennas up” even when you’re not working—pay attention to your environment, pay attention to a trend, pay attention to something that may be interesting because that little nugget can lead to a big idea . . . Lastly, connections are your power base.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career to date?
Anne Fulenwider: Trust your gut.
Nancy Berger: The only thing that is constant in life is change. That’s my motto!
How do you maintain a work/life balance?
Anne Fulenwider: There is no such thing. I really think women put additional pressure on ourselves even trying to think about finding some sort of perfect balance. It’s all about learning to swim with the chaos. Some days may be entirely devoted to work and some days may be entirely devoted to family but if you take the long view, I do believe that each part of your life will get the attention it needs. I try to be present for whatever is in front of me-- entirely present at home-- that means no devices-- and entirely present on the job. That said, I have finally realized that if I get up early in the morning I can actually carve out a little time for myself.
Nancy Berger: One of the commitments I made to my kids early on is that while I can’t be at everything, I’ll always be at the most important things but they have to tell me what those things are to them and I’ve always stuck to that. Whatever was important to my kids, I was present for, and as a result, they never felt I missed anything important to them. You have to find your ways to make it work for you.
And you must have good help, in and out of the office, is important because in order to maintain work balance, you can’t do it on your own so think about who your team is and how to get there.
What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?
Anne Fulenwider: Sexism and equal pay continue to be top of mind for our readers.
Nancy Berger: Confidence. It’s something we think about here at Marie Claire in our @Work section—we talk a lot about executive presence, personal branding, dress coding, and more. These are all things that really help women be confident in the workplace and that takes you a very long way. Another big issue for women is the idea of networking. Women need to take the time to do it both in their own industries and even outside of their own industries. If there’s a chance to sit on a board, do that. If there is a charity that you really believe in, participate in it. Networking is really important.
How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life?
Anne Fulenwider: I’ve never had a formal mentor. I’ve had people to look up to and have learned by example from watching and emulating those I admire. I believe that mentorship works best when it’s organic and it feels right.
Nancy Berger: Mentorship is the single thing I’m most committed to. I am here because I’ve had great mentors along the way. It’s harder to find mentors once you’re at a more successful place in your career, and yet, I still have them. It also makes me reflect on how important it is for me to give back. When we launched Marie Claire @Work, we did a program for all Hearst interns under the @Work umbrella where we gave them great advice and direction for everything from how dressing for success, building a great resume, effective networking skills, and job hunting—and it made a difference. This year, I also started a bi-weekly “training and discussion” group at Marie Claire. I really think that millennials, in particular, and younger, are seeking guidance, training, and education so it’s important to prioritize that. In our group, I take a topic, such as, how to get an appointment, how to close a sale, how to pitch a big idea, and we really talk about what it takes to execute on these ideas. The other thing is, if somebody says to me they have someone who’s just starting out and ask, “could you meet with her?” I always make the time to do that because someone did that for me.
Which other female leaders do you admire and why?
Anne Fulenwider: Kamala Harris, Condoleezza Rice, Patty Jenkins, Nancy Dubac, Stella McCartney, Miroslava Duma, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Nancy Berger..
Nancy Berger: All of the women on our 2017 Power Trip! Other include, Jennifer Hyman (CEO, Co-Founder, Rent the Runway), Jill Furman (Tony-award winning producer of Hamilton), ABC’s Rebecca Jarvis, Nancy Dubuc (CEO of A&E Networks), Meryl Poster (Television producer). In Hearst Tower, there’s so many great women such as our editor in chief, Anne Fulenwider, Hearst’s Chief Content Officer, Joanna Coles, and more.
What do you want Marie Claire to accomplish in the next year?
Anne Fulenwider: Working in magazines for more than two decades, I’ve seen and done a lot. It’s the innovative, powerful women I’m surrounded by every day both in the office and in our pages that make me excited for year ahead. I want to continue to build on Marie Claire's coverage of sustainability and fashion and keep the conversation going in the industry-- I truly believe we have the power to make a difference.
Nancy Berger: I want to continue to expand the Power Trip globally. I want to grow the Next Big Thing conversation and take the pop-up strategy into new markets. We have lots of great ideas for Sustainability so stay tuned!