No more EIC; Jessica Johnson named as executive editor and creative director of The Walrus

Jessica Johnson

The Walrus Foundation has done away with the title and position of editor-in-chief and has instead named Jessica Johnson to the new combined role of executive editor and creative director of The Walrus magazine.

Formerly senior editor and creative director, Johnson will oversee art and editorial content on all print and other platforms and will join the senior management team.

“We’ve retired the role of editor-in-chief and have created a new role—executive editor and creative director—to reflect what the organization needs now,” said Shelley Ambrose, executive director of the Walrus Foundation and publisher of The Walrus. “As we approach the 15th anniversary of The Walrus in 2018, we are so lucky to have Jessica—a seasoned editor with eighteen years of broad experience in managing resources and people—already in our midst. Jessica has been and will continue to be a passionate steward for The Walrus brand as a whole while continuing to push this unusual animal in Canadian publishing to try new things, do more, do it better, to spark conversation, to provoke thought, to embrace what is complicated, and to ensure The Walrus remains best in class on all platforms.”

In May, Jonathan Kay resigned as editor-in-chief, a position he had held since October 2014, when he was appointed to succeed John Macfarlane.