Are Media appoints Nicole Waudby to lead Homes & Lifestyle

Are Media has appointed Nicole Waudby as general manager, Homes & Lifestyle, with responsibility for the strategic content direction and commercial performance of the portfolio.

Reporting to director of content and consumer growth Jocelin Abbey, Waudby will work across content, sales, product and partnerships, with a remit spanning print, digital, audio, video, social and live experiences.

The appointment follows Abbey’s recent move into an expanded content and consumer growth role.

Waudby brings more than 20 years of experience across the Australian and UK media industries, covering publishing, sales, digital, partnerships and commercial strategy.

Abbey said the appointment reflected Are Media’s ambitions for the category.

“Nicole is a highly respected and accomplished media leader who understands how to bring editorial, audience and commercial strategy together,” Abbey said.

“Homes and Lifestyle are key growth categories for Are Media, supported by some of Australia’s most trusted and influential brands.”

The portfolio includes Better Homes and Gardens, Australian House & Garden and Belle, with Are Media increasingly looking to extend those brands across channels and create new commercial propositions for advertisers.

The appointment comes as the publisher points to continued audience growth across several of its major titles.

Its latest Roy Morgan results showed Better Homes and Gardens reached 2.17 million Australians across print and digital, while Australian House & Garden reached 894,000. Belle recorded 40% year-on-year growth in print readership to 194,000.

Waudby said the portfolio had room to grow both its audiences and its advertiser proposition.

“I’m excited to work with Sally, Jocelin and the wider content teams to build on that strength, find new ways to introduce Are Media’s brands to broader audiences and develop innovative commercial propositions that deliver meaningful value for audiences and advertising partners,” Waudby said.

She starts in the role on August 26.