Bustle Taps Rogers

It’s not all doom and gloom over at Bustle as after several recent layoffs, it changed course Thursday, unveiling a new hire.

The women’s lifestyle site has tapped Sam Rogers, a Vogue International editor, to take on the executive editor role at Bustle

UK, fitting in with its strategy to become a successor to glossy magazines.

In her new position, effective Jan. 6, Rogers will oversee the editorial for Bustle’s UK operations, which the company launched in 2018. She will report to Bustle’s editorial director, Charlotte Owen.

Owen was originally recruited to set up the U.K. site, but is currently preparing to relocate to the New York office, where she’ll oversee U.S. editorial operations. This was at the request of Emma

Rosenblum, the new editor in chief of Bustle parent company Bustle Digital Group, which also owns The Zoe Report, Elite Daily and Romper, among others.

“Sam is a bold editor whose work I have always respected,” said Owen of the new hire. “She will bring her unrivaled expertise in fashion, beauty and British pop culture, and we can’t wait to see her take Bustle UK to new heights.”

London-based Rogers most recently served as Vogue International’s fashion features and news editor, where she worked on editorial content for 17 international editions of Vogue.

Prior to that, she was acting online editor at British Vogue, working under then-editor in chief Alexandra Shulman and Shulman’s successor Edward Enninful. Rogers has also held digital positions at Wallpaper and Condé Nast Brides.

Rogers’ appointment follows reports that several staffers were let go recently by Bustle, including associate entertainment news editor, celebrity and entertainment news editor, movies editor and senior books editor, as it prepares for a site relaunch in 2020.

A spokeswoman for Bustle said: “We brought in new leadership to rebuild the editorial vision for BDG’s lifestyle brands. We have made a handful of changes and hired for a number of positions across the board to reflect the new editorial direction for 2020 and beyond.” — KATHRYN HOPKINS