Nicole Xue, Editor in Chief of Elle China, Is Out
SHANGHAI — Nicole Xue, Elle China‘s editor in chief, is leaving the Hearst publication after almost three years.
Her departure was revealed to team members of the fashion publication last week, and an Elle China employee confirmed her exit to WWD.
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Xue’s successor has yet to be named.
A graduate of China’s prestigious Peking University, Xue joined Elle China in 2005. She rose through the ranks to become feature director before being promoted to editorial director in 2019, replacing Xiao Xue, Elle China’s editor in chief and chief executive officer, who held the position for 14 years.
Industry sources said Xue’s departure comes amid a strategy shift under Daisy Wang, whom Hearst appointed as CEO of the Greater China region in early 2019. Wang was in charge of Hearst’s Taiwan region business before moving to the Greater China post.
Jingcai Zhou, editorial director and publisher of Elle Men since 2018, is seen as a strong proponent of Xue’s departure, according to ConCall, a local fashion industry-focused account under West Village (Beijing) Culture Media, a new publishing house co-founded by Paco Tang, former group publisher of Condé Nast China and managing director of Tatler Shangliu.
A successor could be handpicked from within the company, with Sujia Zhuge, deputy editorial director of Elle China and editor in chief and publisher of SuperElle, the sister publication of Elle, seen as a strong contender, according to industry insiders.
Zhou is also a strong frontrunner for the position, but according to ConCall, Wang’s ambition is to snatch the role of group publisher, a position left open since 2019.
Elle was the first international fashion magazine to enter the Chinese market in 1988.
According to data compiled by Admango, Elle China sold 1,506 pages of ads in 2018, while Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue China had 1,279 and 1,086 pages of ads, respectively.
The monthly publication expanded into spin-off publications including SuperElle, Elle Men, Elle Men Fresh and Elle Decoration in the China market.
Wang could not be reached for comment at press time.
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