We See You: Samantha Barry

Why we’re watching her: The flame-haired brainy Irish lass was named Editor in Chief of Glamour in 2018—an interesting choice for the storied fashion magazine, given her years in news rather than fashion; as she said in a recent appearance on the Today show, she wasn’t herself a “ballet flats” sort of girl. But she is considered an expert in digital media, something the print-centric Condé Nast felt they sorely needed.

Pedigree: Barry, who has an MA in journalism from Dublin City University, got her news chops as executive producer for social and emerging media at CNN and earlier at the BBC. On her watch, Glamour.com has hit 47 million average monthly video views.

Catch her in the wild: Barry has been a women’s voting rights activist for years, and has traveled to more than 25 countries in news-gathering mode, according to Image. Now based in New York, she’s recently been spotted with Nikki Hilton at the Art Production Fund’s Gala, donning red satin at the premiere of the Brook Shields doc, Pretty Baby and sharing a convo with Huma Abedin at Room to Read Benefit. And she was also seen at the British Consulate General in NYC when Anna Wintour invited Barry to witness her being made a Dame.

The smart woman’s Met Gala: As host of Glamour’s trademark Women of the Year Awards, Barry has expanded the event to include “empowering panels, discussions, hands-on activations, and keynotes.” As a moderator, she excels at making honorees like Angela Bassett, Hilary Clinton, and Tory Burch shine.

Best career advice: According to HerCampus.com, Barry told a captive audience at Sacred Heart University that “every woman needs a “f***-off fund” where she keeps at least six months to a year of rent saved in a bank account to use if she needs to leave a bad job, a bad man, or a bad situation.”

Dinner party: Barry recently hosted a dinner for the Women of the Year Advisory Board at Fig and Olive, in the Meatpacking District. “We come together a couple of times every year, and they help us understand what women we should be looking at, celebrating, and ultimately honoring,” she said. According to glamour.com, members departed with a goodie bag containing products exclusively owned or founded by women.

Love language: While glamour.com files “I Kept Getting Split Ends Until My Hairstylist Told Me This” under top news stories, Barry thrives on real talk about real issues, including a recent sit-down with Dr. Jill Biden.

Party spirit animal: The border collie, renowned for seriousness blended with playfulness and vitality.

Prediction: The news junkie may be sitting out the next round of 24/7 election coverage, but we doubt she’ll stay quiet about women’s issues (and no, we’re not just talking about split ends, though we confess we’re interested in that, too.)