Chris Wilkes

Chris Wilkes is Vice President, App Lab for Hearst Magazines, responsible for the strategy and execution of the fast-growing "premium" digital magazine business on tablets and smartphones. Chris and the Lab have been instrumental in the development and launch plans for all of Hearst Magazines' apps and digital editions across tablet and mobile devices, including iPhone, iPad, Nook and Android. Hearst is the industry leader in e-edition circulation, reaching the one million paid mark in April 2013.

Hearst Magazines has produced more than 150 apps and digital editions for such brands as Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Car and Driver, Esquire, Food Network Magazine, House Beautiful, Marie Claire, O, The Oprah Magazine and Popular Mechanics – ranging from enhanced digital editions and games to special content and utility apps – some of which have been rated among the top magazine apps on iTunes. Esquire's iPad edition was the winner of the first-ever National Magazine Award for Digital Media in 2011.

Wilkes also heads the company's App Lab, a state-of-the-art media lab and interactive learning center at Hearst Tower in New York City. The lab serves as a think tank for Wilkes and his team, along with partners and advertisers, as they continue to aggressively experiment and develop magazine brand apps.