Condé Nast Taps Versha Sharma as Editor in Chief of Teen Vogue
Condé Nast has named Versha Sharma editor in chief of Teen Vogue, succeeding Alexi McCammond, who resigned before her first day.
Sharma joins from Group Nine-owned NowThis, where she has held a number of senior editorial roles since 2014, including managing editor and senior correspondent, overseeing daily news, politics and culture content.
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She started her career in media at TalkingPointsMemo in 2009 as a news writer, and later, associate publisher and went on to cover the 2012 U.S. presidential election for MSNBC.com, before joining Vocativ as senior editor and reporter.
Her political reporting experience will be important as Teen Vogue, now a digital-only publication, has focused more on political coverage, social issues and activism in recent years.
“Versha is a natural leader with a global perspective and deep understanding of local trends and issues — from politics and activism to culture and fashion— and their importance to our audience,” said Anna Wintour, global editorial director of Vogue and chief content officer of Condé Nast. “She is a masterful storyteller who can move from platform to platform with ease, and I am excited by her optimistic and expansive vision for Teen Vogue.”
For her part Sharma added: “I believe that Teen Vogue can continue to be a force for good, with a focus on empathy, accountability, optimism and impact, and it is such an honor to join this team and lead the title into the future.”
McCammond was revealed as the new editor in chief on March 5, taking the reins from Lindsay Peoples Wagner, who left to take the top job at The Cut. That did not last long as McCammond resigned in the middle of the month amid the fallout over her past racist and homophobic tweets. There was also concern about the former Axios political reporter’s lack of editing experience.
One of McCammond’s tweets, which were written when she was in college, said, “now googling how to not wake up with swollen, asian eyes.” Another read, “give me a 2/10 on my chem problem, cross out all of my work and don’t explain what I did wrong…thanks a lot stupid asian T.A. you’re great.”
At the time, more than 20 members of Teen Vogue’s staff wrote to Condé Nast expressing concerns over McCammond. “We’ve heard the concerns of our readers, and we stand with you. In a moment of historically high anti-Asian violence and amid the ongoing struggles of the LGBTQ community, we as the staff of Teen Vogue fully reject those sentiments,” part of a statement shared on Twitter read. “We are hopeful that an internal conversation will prove fruitful in maintaining the integrity granted to us by our audience.”
Ulta also paused its advertising campaign with Teen Vogue that’s said to be worth seven figures.
When revealing that the company had parted ways with McCammond, Stan Duncan, the publisher’s chief of people, sent a companywide note explaining the move. “We agreed that it was best to part ways, so as to not overshadow the important work happening at Teen Vogue.”
For more, see:
Teen Vogue Staffers Express Concerns Over New Top Editor
Teen Vogue Names Alexi McCammond Editor in Chief
Lindsay Peoples Wagner Named The Cut’s New Top Editor
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