Jim Fallon was promoted to chief content officer of WWD and Fairchild Media Group, overseeing editorial and content creation at WWD, Beauty Inc, Sourcing Journal and Footwear News.
Fallon, who had been editorial director, takes on the new role immediately and reports to Amanda Smith, chief executive officer of Fairchild.
“Over the last 45 years, Jim has demonstrated a fierce commitment to the journalistic excellence that our brands are known for and has been a critical part of their evolution,” Smith said. “His unparalleled experience coupled with his passion for our work are evident in all he does. We look forward to seeing how his vision and leadership continue to propel our prestigious brands forward.”
In addition to overseeing all aspects of editorial content across Fairchild’s brands and platforms, Fallon will work closely with Smith to grow the media firm, which has been covering ins and outs of the fashion world since 1892.
The company said in a statement that Fallon will “maintain the journalistic excellence for which Fairchild is known, help strengthen brand positioning, foster editorial collaboration across FMG, expand audiences while serving the core industry readership, and help develop new editorial products in various forms to further broaden FMG’s reach.”
Fallon brings a long resume to the task.
He spent two years as news editor in Fairchild’s Washington D.C. bureau before moving to London for a 20-year stint as bureau chief in the city. While there, he covered the U.K. and parts of continental Europe for WWD and Footwear News as well as the consumer magazine W and the men’s wear publication DNR, which were operated by Fairchild at the time.
In addition to keeping close watch on the apparel and textiles industries, Fallon reported on telecommunications, supermarkets, the arts, the British royal family, the growth of the European Union, counterfeiting, data security and more.
In 2001, he moved to New York to become editor of WWD.
Fallon received a journalism degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree in journalism from Stanford University.
