Wills departing WSJ to return to CNN

Amanda Wills is leaving The Wall Street Journal and joining CNN Worldwide in a newly created role within the global news organization, serving as group senior vice president, chief content officer. 

Her first day will be April 14. She has been chief content officer of video, a masthead role overseeing everything in video form, from breaking news and analysis to investigative and documentary work. Under her leadership, WSJ video exponentially grew in audience size and engagement as well as earned Peabody and Emmy Award nominations.  

In this new role, Wills will be responsible for leveraging audience insights to deliver content across CNN’s TV, digital and streaming platforms. With a focus on distinctive, elevated, and future-forward journalism, Wills will be integral in partnering with CNN’s product teams on the company’s digital transformation and future experiences. Reporting to the Executive Editor of Editorial, Wills will guide CNN’s news coverage, redefining the way we explain the world, producing stories that resonate with modern audiences.  

Prior to WSJ, Wills spent six years at CNN, where she served in several leadership positions, including vice president of content programming for CNN+ and executive producer of breaking news for CNN Digital. She conceptualized, developed and built the team and product that eventually became Live Story. During her time at CNN Digital, Wills led the Live News team to cover big breaking events, setting several readership records.   

Before CNN, Wills was deputy executive editor at Mashable, where she oversaw growth in both staffing and market impact at the startup.

Wills is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and electronic media and Spanish.