Mamamia has shaken up its structure for the "next phase" of its editorial transition, as editor-in-chief Kate de Brito exits the business for News Corp.
De Brito took on the role earlier this year after former editor-in-chief Jamila Rizvi quietly left Mamamia. She will now be the editor-in-chief of News.com.au.
The women’s media company has also announced it will split its editorial team into two divisions, Mamamia News and Mamamia Entertainment. Both teams will still feed into the one homepage, but the change means the pureplay will no longer have a single editor.
The move further cements Mamamia's move to a one-brand strategy, flagged in its upfronts at the end of 2015.
Managing director Kylie Rogers tells AdNews the move is a "precursor" to Mamamia's upfronts announcements to be made later this year.
"By making these changes we are better placing resources where we know we have demand. Our readers want more video and more podcasts so we are resourcing up Mamamia Entertainment and at the same time, becoming less reliant on traditional verticals," she says.
The publisher previously had four editors for its brands, including Mamamia, The Glow, Debrief Daily and The Motherish. This year has seen those brands migrated back into the Mamamia mothership, while also growing the podcast offering of Mamamia. It also underwent a brand refresh, with the launch of a new vertical and logo.
Founder and publisher Mia Freedman says the editorial restructure allows Mamamia to be more agile and responsive to its readers. While the publisher is putting more resources into its entertainment arm, Freedman says it will continue to cover everything from celebrities to Syria.
Holly Wainwright will head the Mamamia Entertainment team, promoted from her role of general manager of podcasts, while Gemma Garkut will lead the Mamamia News team. Garkut was previously the deputy editor of Mamamia.
Both Wainright and Garkut will report to the editorial and product director, Rebecca Jacobs.
Mamamia has also brought on a new commercial director, Claire Harrison. Harrison has held sales positions at ANZ Amobee, REA Group and is the director of Women in Digital.
In July, Mamamia and Screen Australia jointly announced a partnership that will see the women’s media company create and distribute digital video content for women. As the digital-only publisher ramps up its focus on video, it has brought on a former director, Briony Benjamin, as the leader of its video team.
"We know that video is becoming more important to publishers all over the world. With the move to video and the explosive success with our podcast network, we are responding to changes in audience and behaviour by altering how we create content," Freedman tells AdNews.
While it was announced Rizvi left Mamamia to spend more time with her new family, she recently resurfaced as a contributor for News Corp’s news.com.au and parenting website Kidspot.com.au.
On De Brito's exit Freedman says: "Kate has decided to leave the company to pursue a new opportunity and we wish her well. She has been an inspirational leader for the editorial team during this transition and remains a great friend to us and many of you."
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