She’s been at the helm of major print titles Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia and Women’s Fitness, and now Rachel Sharp is making her move into the digital arena, with the appointment as editor-in-chief at Sporteluxe.
Effective immediately, Sharp will continue to develop and extend the Sporteluxe brand, capitalising on its success in the health and wellness sector.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rachel to Sporteluxe as editor-in-chief,” says Sporteluxe managing director and founder Bianca Cheah.
“Her unique experience and connections in the wellness and luxury markets make her the ideal candidate to grow the Sporteluxe brand in Australia and globally. We are moving into a huge growth phase and with Rachel’s editorial direction, we can focus on taking Sporteluxe to the next level.”
We spoke to Sharp to find out more about the new role and her thoughts about working in digital...
What attracted you to the role at Sporteluxe?
I’ve been a huge fan of Sporteluxe since it launched in 2012 and really admired Bianca’s vision. She recognised the rising interest in aspirational health and a glossy lifestyle and created something to fill that space, which is why Sporteluxe has the amazing traffic it does now - it was a pioneer. Anyone who knows me knows fashion and fitness are my two passions outside work - and during my 20-year career, I’ve edited Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia and Women’s Fitness, which is quite a unique mix! So to be joining such a successful digital brand that focuses on both fashion and fitness in such an aspirational and relatable way is the perfect combination for me - and lots of fun.
What will your role involve?
As editor-in-chief, I’ll be approving all editorial content on the site, commissioning contributors, lining up shoots and talent, liaising with advertisers and representing the brand at events. All the same stuff print magazine editors do, really. Since we’re a streamlined team, I’ll be writing content too, which is exciting given I’m a journo by trade but haven’t had much opportunity (or time) to write in other editor jobs.
You were previously the editor of Women's Fitness. What have you been doing since the mag was shut down?
Looking after my new baby boy, Griffin! I was five weeks into maternity leave when Bauer closed Women’s Fitness for licensing reasons. Since I had a newborn, I wasn’t in a position to move with the title then and there to Citrus Media (which picked up the license and published another issue within weeks). So for the past 10 months, I’ve been able to focus all of my attention on my two beautiful young kids, which has been wonderful. Still, I’m loving having my head back in the creative game now.
Are you excited to be working on a purely digital venture?
So, so excited to be on a purely digital venture. It’s a total first for me. I love print, but digital is so immediate and reactive and requires a whole different skill set. It’s a steep learning curve for someone who’s worked on glossy mags for such a long time, but I’m loving every minute. Successful digital publications like Sporteluxe now get audience traffic many print brands only dream of these days. We’ve had some really exciting digital publications launch in Australia recently across a range of specialties, which is great for everyone because it gets consumers used to consuming more and more on their tablets, phones and computers.
