Forbes editor leaving for PR

Melanie Wells, a Forbes Media executive editor who covered marketing and advertising, is leaving the magazine to become a managing director and chief content officer of a public relations firm.

Wells will join DiGennaro Communications on Jan. 10. She is taking a few weeks off before starting her new job, where she will be responsible for starting a new business unit.

Wells was also an assistant managing editor at Forbes. Since she joined the magazine as a senior editor in 1999, she has assigned and edited stories that have appeared throughout the magazine. She has also written more than 10 cover stories. One article analyzed Jet Blue’s financial and marketing success. Another piece examined the strange power of so-called cult brands.

“It’s a great opportunity with a lot of potential,” said Wells in an e-mail to Talking Biz News. “I’m excited for a new year and a new adventure!”

Before joining Forbes, Wells spent five years as a business reporter and marketing columnist for the “Money” section at USA Today in New York. Prior to that, she was a writer and columnist at Advertising Age.