• by Ray Schultz , February 18, 2025

Jessica Giles, the former editor in chief of Cosmopolitan, will serve in the newly created position of managing director of Code and Theory’s new media experience practice, the company announced on Tuesday.  

Giles and her team will be tasked with confronting the biggest challenges in publishing, the company says.

They will be called on to create new experiences and types of engagement and monetization. Giles will also help publishers exploit AI. 

Giles helped Cosmopolitan reach its largest audience ever by modernizing its content, strategies and operations. She also built platforms and digital products with such partners as OpenAI and Google. 

In addition, Giles oversaw the digital transformation of Marie Claire and earlier was a key mover in the evolution of Teen Vogue and Glamour.

“Being an editor-in-chief in the modern media landscape is, in many ways, like steering a ship through choppy waters,” Giles says. “Publishers need a fierce partner with sea legs and a clear vision for navigating what comes next.”

“Media brands can no longer afford to lag in innovation—they must be the architects of their entire ecosystems,” adds Dan Gardner, co-founder and executive chair of Code and Theory. “This shift demands ownership of distribution, monetization and, most importantly, creativity. The days of simply 'creating content' are long gone.”

Code and Theory has helped such brands as BBC, Bloomberg, Guardian, NlBC Olympics, NBC News, TechCrunch and Vogue.