SCMP Hearst names Sophia Yu as managing director as Josephine Chan steps down

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) has appointed Sophia Yu (pictured) as managing director of SCMP Hearst, succeeding Josephine Chan, who steps down after 35 years. Yu’s appointment will take effect from 1 April.Yu currently serves as senior vice president and publisher of SCMP Hearst, a role she has held since April 2021. She oversees the brand development, business strategy and editorial direction of all the division’s lifestyle media brands.

Yu first joined the SCMP in May 2011 as director of advertising and marketing solutions and moved to SCMP Hearst in November 2013 as general manager and publisher. According to her LinkedIn, Yu was responsible for driving sales strategy and generating advertising and marketing solutions revenues for SCMP in Hong Kong. She was then promoted to vice president of sales & marketing and publisher in 2018.

Prior to SCMP, Yu held both in-house and agency positions at different companies, having acquired more than 15 years of APAC strategy, sales, marketing and advertising experience across Hong Kong, Greater China and other Asia markets. Her LinkedIn profile shows that she worked at Corbis Asia Pacific, Primedia, Channel One News, TBWA and Leo Burnett Advertising.

"Yu is one of Hong Kong's most experienced and knowledgeable leaders in women's magazines and lifestyle brands today. I am confident that her strong strategic planning, management, and people leadership skills will take our magazine brands to new heights,” said Catherine So, chief executive officer, SCMP Group.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to SCMP for additional information.

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Meanwhile, Josephine Chan, who has led SCMP Hearst for the past 35 years, has made the decision to step down to spend more time with family, according to the press release. 

Under Chan’s leadership, SCMP Hearst, a joint venture of the SCMP Group and The Hearst Corporation, has grown to operate five renowned lifestyle media brands in Hong Kong, including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper's BAZAAR, Esquire, and ELLE Men, with an aggregate reach of 7.5 million readers every month across print, digital and social platforms, according to the release.

"Chan is a well-respected leader in Hong Kong's lifestyle media industry. We are grateful for her leadership and commitment to SCMP Hearst over the past 35 years. We appreciate the role she has played in driving our magazine business forward and wish her a well-deserved retirement,” said Catherine So added.

Back in February, SCMP appointed Kevin Huang as chief operating officer, leading the advertising and marketing solutions unit within the organisation. Huang is responsible for deepening SCMP’s relationships with prospective and existing partners across industries.

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