She's the executive online editor for one of the most prestigious magazine brands across the globe - The New Yorker, but Sydney-native Amelia Lester is giving it all up to return to Australia as editor of Fairfax Media's Good Weekend.
Lester has a more-than-impressive resume attached to her name, with the Harvard graduate hired by The New Yorker to be its managing editor at the age of 26. Before that, she was the editor at Paris Review. She has now worked at The New Yorker for nine years, with the last year seeing her be instrumental in developing the title’s digital strategy.
In a joint statement about the appointment, The Sydney Morning Herald editor-in-chief Darren Goodsir and The Age editor-in-chief Andrew Holden say: “Amelia secured the position after a highly competitive selection process, with the quality and high number of applicants underscoring Good Weekend’s marketplace credentials. Amelia demonstrated an impeccable understanding of long-form and feature writing – together with delivering a compelling vision of how to translate a traditional print product into a digital environment.
“This is a thrilling appointment, and Amelia has the skills and the vision to continue Good Weekend’s fine tradition of quality journalism. Her pedigree and career success speak for themselves, and we are very excited about her ambitions for the magazine – and the type of stories she will be pursuing.”
Lester adds: “Independent journalism is more important than ever in Australia. I look forward to continuing Good Weekend’s long tradition of rigorous reporting and enthralling storytelling.”
Lester will begin work in the new role in February, 2016.
