Monica Serino is a Brazilian journalist who helped transform the very definition of a women's fashion magazine, in her home country and abroad, during a three-decade career, including 20 years as editor-in-chief of Marie Claire Brazil.
She and her staff used their platform to advocate for the rights of women and children, and on a range of social issues in Brazil that had never been part of the editorial “recipe” of a fashion magazine. At the same time, she helped bring her country's burgeoning fashion industry to the attention of the world. The consistent positioning of the magazine as one of the most successful editions among 39 international Marie Claire editions was the result of a constant search for the balance between important content and beautiful presentation of the content and a willingness to innovate while remaining true to core principles.
Monica led a team of about 25 editors, designers, photographers, fashion stylists and marketing managers.
Team management and a dynamic approach to each edition led the magazine to commercial and editorial success, building strong partnerships with advertisers and readers. Along the way, Monica increased readership to nearly a million from less than 200,000, created new revenue sources and won the industry's most prestigious journalism, marketing, and art direction awards. Under Monica Serino leadership, Marie Claire won the Globo award for best magazine of the year, in 2014.
She started her career as a graphic designer at a weekly news magazine, in 1977 and spend nearly 15 years working as Art director in women’s and fashion titles like Capricho (teen’s magazine) and Elle. In 1991 she was offered the chance to be part of the launching of Marie Claire in Brazil. The French fashion magazine, with a strong feminist and activism bent, was the perfect platform to work on the issues that were important to her and take them to the wider world. At Marie Claire, she served as Art Director for the first three years and as Editor-in-Chief for the following 20.
The core of her personal philosophy, which resonated with readers, is a belief that strong values and a desire to be part of the global feminist movement are not inconsistent with an interest for the fashion, beauty, style.
Marie Claire Brazil gave a voice to women, from the most powerful to the most vulnerable, no matter how difficult the subject — domestic violence, child labor, or women’s sexuality. No issue was taboo. Sexuality in all its forms, relationships, the way women see their own bodies -- it was all on the table to be explored and discussed. Sexual harassment was already a subject for Marie Claire in the 1990s.
During Monica’s tenure running Marie Claire, the magazine won more than 20 awards, including the ExxonMobil Award for Best Contribution to Journalism, the highest journalism award in Brazil. Marie Claire was the only women’s publication to be given this award, dedicated mainly to hard news media. She also was awarded the title “Journalist friend of children “ by ANDI (News Agency for Children’s Rights), for stories and editorial projects and actions with a direct impact on the promotion and protection of children’s and teenagers' rights. Her many travel and lifestyle stories about France and especially Paris won Monica the Tourism Medal from the French government for her support and promotion of relations between the two countries, Brazil and France.
Monica moved to New York City in 2015 and has worked as a special correspondent for the magazine since then, covering such events as Fashion Week and the Women of the World Conference, and writing travel pieces. She’s looking for new challenges that allow her to use the skills she learned in her career as well as her language and communication skills to keep working for change and advocating for the causes she believes in.