Amanda Smith has been promoted to chief executive officer of Fairchild Media Group.
The post gives her strategic oversight of Fairchild’s brands, including Women’s Wear Daily, WWD Weekend, Beauty Inc, Footwear News, Sourcing Journal, Rivet and Fairchild Live Events. All together, the properties reach a global audience of 18 million.
Smith, who has been president of Fairchild since 2020, will now oversee all editorial and business teams at FMG and will continue to report to Celine Perrot-Johnson, who is executive vice president operations and finance at parent company Penske Media Corp.
“The last four years under Amanda’s skillful leadership have been instrumental to Fairchild Media’s growth,” said Jay Penske, CEO and founder of Penske Media. “Under her stewardship, the team has created new and impactful franchises and brand extensions. Her reverence for Fairchilds’s enduring legacy coupled with her vision for its future have been invaluable to its evolution.”
Perrot-Johnson said the appointment recognizes Smith’s “leadership and relentless dedication.”
“Her pivotal role in fostering a collaborative environment, implementing innovative ideas, and spearheading the global expansion of WWD’s footprint has been nothing short of remarkable,” Perrot-Johnson said. “Under her guidance, there has been a renewed focus on innovation across the brands — from the creation of WWD Weekend, which extends WWD’s authority into the luxury consumer space, to the reinvigoration of Footwear News’ core product strategy as the leading voice of the footwear industry, and the elevation of Sourcing Journal’s global report series as a stand-alone product to better serve its hyper-engaged supply chain audience.”
Smith — who held senior roles at Fast Company, Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Condé Nast Traveler before joining Fairchild — also created the WWD Global Impact Council and expanded Fairchild’s live events with summits in Riyadh and Thailand.
Smith described this as an “incredibly pivotal time for the esteemed Fairchild brands.”
“The exceptional content that our brands create is essential reading for the industry and has become the guide for knowledgeable consumers,” she said. “I look forward to working closely with each of the teams to reinforce the standard of excellence that Fairchild is renowned for around the world, and to focus on driving the innovation and ideation that will mark a new level of success for the future.”