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