New York Magazine editor-in-chief David Haskell and deputy editor Alexis Swerdloff have announced several new hires and promotions at the Strategist, the magazine’s popular site devoted to helping readers navigate the vast online shopping universe. Maxine Builder has been promoted to Strategist editor, and will set the site’s course for continued growth while honing its unique voice; Katy Schneider has been promoted to features editor, New York Magazine; Simone Kitchens joins the Strategist as a senior editor; Liza Corsillo has been promoted to senior writer; Louis Cheslaw has been promoted to associate editor; and Daniel Varghese joins as associate editor.
“What’s impressed me most about Maxine is how she directed our extremely thoughtful, measured, well-reported service journalism throughout this past year, overseeing work that’s smart, fun to read, and, above all, useful,” says Alexis Swerdloff. “With these brilliant additional hires and newly promoted staffers joining the team, the Strategist’s ambitions are limitless.”
Maxine Builder first joined the Strategist as a staff writer in 2017 and quickly rose to become the site’s first managing editor during a period of rapid growth, then deputy editor last summer. She is an expert at balancing editorial ambition with business goals, formalizing systems as the Strategist matured and training the Strategist’s formidable team of writers and editors. She was also instrumental in setting and implementing the Strategist’s DE&I goals.
In her new role as features editor, New York Magazine, Katy Schneider will lead the print Strategist section, edit print packages beyond the Strategist, and work closely with Curbed, while continuing to contribute ideas to the online Strategist. Schneider was previously a senior editor at the Strategist and first joined New York in 2014, as assistant to then editor-in-chief Adam Moss.
Simone Kitchens joins the Strategist as a senior editor, and will have a focus on categories including home, wellness, and travel. Since 2019 she has been a senior features editor at Goop, and prior to that she worked as a senior editor at New York, working primarily on the print Strategist section. Earlier in her career she worked at Glamour, the Huffington Post, and Lucky. She starts on April 19.
Liza Corsillo has been promoted to senior writer at the Strategist (from staff writer). Among her many standout pieces, she owned the constantly evolving face mask beat for the Strategist over the past year.
Louis Cheslaw has been promoted to associate editor at the Strategist (from writer), and will work across digital and print. He previously worked at Condé Nast Traveler.
Daniel Varghese joins the Strategist as an associate editor, also working across digital and print. He was previously a tech and lifestyle writer at GQ and before that an associate staff writer at Wirecutter. He begins his new role April 26.