Signalling the next step in their evolutionary journey, The Local Project has announced the recent appointment of David Meagher (pictured) as Managing Editor and Virginia Jen as Editor.
The welcome of Meagher and Jen signifies The Local Project’s continued growth in their industry-leading editorial offering.
Meagher, a celebrated journalist, editor and author, joins The Local project from The Australian newspaper’s monthly luxury lifestyle magazine, WISH, where he was the editor for 15 years.
Jen has been appointed as editor, joining from her most recent role as deputy editor of Vogue Living for the last four years.
“The Local Project is dedicated to our ongoing development in every aspect of the business. The editorial team is the core of the company. It plays a significant role in ensuring we offer valuable insights and establish meaningful relationships between industry leaders and our global audiences,” said founder and director Aidan Anderson.
“Our vision was for The Local Project to be the leading voice for the local design community. Given our highly engaged audiences from a large range of demographics and backgrounds, Meagher and Jen bring extensive experience, knowledge and network to grow our reach and share our messages far and wide”.
Before Meagher’s time at WISH, he was the deputy editor of The Australian Financial Review’s weekly Life & Leisure section and its quarterly, The Sophisticated Traveller Magazine. Meagher is also the author of four non-fiction books in his career and continues to contribute as a feature writer for some of Australia’s leading luxury, lifestyle and business publications.
Jen’s inspiring career includes her time at News Corp Australia and as a regular contributor to leading fashion, luxury, hospitality and design titles, including GQ, Gourmet Traveller, Home Beautiful, Country Style and
Belle, among other publications.
To round out the editorial offering, Deborah Cooke has recently joined the editorial team as Partnerships Editor, bringing 30 years of experience in client management, client strategy development, writing and editing at Fairfax Media and various Australian titles.
With over 50 years of combined experience in media and publishing, Meagher, Jen, and Cooke represent an important evolution for The Local Project and its team. “The breadth of David, Virginia and Deborah’s combined experience will allow us to continue to offer editorial content of the highest standard across Australia, New Zealand and North America,” Anderson said.
“We have exciting projects and changes lined up for 2024 and beyond, and we can’t wait to work on these developments with their wealth of industry knowledge”.
Rose Onans, who is currently on maternity leave, will resume her position as Head of Editorial in late 2024.