Men’s fitness and lifestyle magazine Men’s Health UK has appointed its first ever female editor-in-chief.
The monthly title covers issues including nutrition, workout advice and health tips, as well as interviewing fitness experts and celebrities about their health routines. It has been run for the last 18 years by outgoing editor-in-chief Toby Wiseman.
The role is now being taken over by Claire Sanderson, who will continue to serve in her current role as editor-in-chief of Women’s Health UK.
Sanderson has edited Women’s Health UK since 2017 but will now drive strategy for both wellness titles.
“I’m delighted to be leading as editor-in-chief of Women’s Health and Men’s Health during a time when the footprint for both brands has never been bigger or more powerful,” Sanderson told The Independent.
“It’s a privilege to become the first woman to take up the editor-in-chief role of Men’s Health. However, what I think’s most important are my credentials in leading and growing a wellness brand – regardless of my gender,” she continued.
“I’ve worked closely with the Men’s Health team for years and know all about the brilliant expertise we have within the team here, so it’s an exciting journey ahead.”
In taking up the top job at Men’s Health UK, Sanderson replaces Toby Wiseman, who spent 18 years leading the brand until his recent appointment as the MD of Content at Hearst UK.
Claire Sanderson— (Rachell Smith)
“While women and men experience wellness slightly differently, we know from our audiences that fitness, nutrition and mental health are topics they’re both hugely invested in – and are all areas I’m hugely passionate about,” said Sanderson.
Sanderson has worked in journalism for more than 25 years, starting as a presenter at a hospital radio station before working for her local newspaper where she grew up in Wales.
Since then, Sanderson has worked across national newspapers and glossy magazines including The Sun, The Look and Grazia. As the editor-in-chief of Women’s Health UK, she launched award-winning wellness campaigns such as #ItStartsWithABra and Project Body Love.
In the December issue of Women’s Health UK magazine, Strictly professional Amy Dowden, who has recently finished chemotherapy for breast cancer, starred on the cover of the magazine and discussed her experience navigating cancer treatment.
For its November issue, Emily in Paris star Ashley Park was the cover star.
Sanderson has said that men’s mental health is one of her main concerns regarding men’s wellness, and hopes to “open up” the conversation surrounding mental wellbeing for readers of Men’s Health UK.
“I think it’s well documented – particularly within the content produced by Men’s Health UK – that the state of men’s mental health is quite complex, particularly amongst young men,” Sanderson said.
“In fact, we ran a poll on Men’s Health’s Instagram channel earlier this year which showed that 87 per cent believe that young men are receiving conflicting messages about what it means to be a man, whilst suicide is sadly the leading cause of death in men under 50.”
“That’s why the work Men’s Health has done in trying to open up the conversation about male mental health has been so important and can’t be underplayed. It’s very much testament to the work done by the previous Editor-in-Chief of Men’s Health UK,Toby Wiseman, and the brilliant team here. We want to continue opening up that conversation through content across all channels.”
Under Sanderson’s leadership, both magazines are enhancing their exclusive membership plans, the “Women’s Health Collective” and “Men’s Health Squad”, which both offer fitness programmes for paying subscribers.
Sanderson said of the membership schemes: “I’m really excited about our plans around memberships and what that will mean in terms of creating even stronger and deeper relationships with existing and new members through premium content that people want to pay for.”
“We have a big announcement coming next week about how we’re seriously enhancing our Women’s Health Collective and Men’s Health Squad membership propositions with new products that will take personalised training and wellbeing advice to the next level,” Sanderson said.
