According to IPC Connect managing director Evelyn Webster, IPC and Edwards "fundamentally disagreed about the direction the magazine needed to take". Edwards resigned in February and IPC today confirmed Hatton as the new editor.
The title is struggling in the competitive women's weekly market, and its circulation is down 13.5% over a year to 456,524 from 527,764. It was launched in 1937 and offers a real-life and advice formula to a target readership between 20 to 40 years old with children.
Growing competition, in part due to the success of IPC's launch of real-life title Pick Me Up last January, has impacted on the whole sector and led to a string of magazines being launched into the market, most recently with News International launching Love It.
As well as Woman, IPC sister titles Woman's Own and Women's Weekly are also under pressure. The former is down 8.9% over a year to 409,616 and the latter is down by 7.4% to 414,778.
Oswin Grady, IPC Connect publishing director, said: "Woman and Woman's Own are massive brands read by millions of women every week.
"Jackie's talent and wealth of experience in understanding the dynamics of this demanding weekly sector will stand Woman in fantastic stead for the next phase of the magazine's evolution."
Edwards is believed to have gone freelance. Before joining IPC in September last year she was the launch editor for The National Magazine Company's real-life weekly Reveal, and prior to that had spent seven years at H Bauer working on That's Life and special projects.
IPC rival Emap is working on a new launch aimed at working mothers, under the codename Project Jackie.
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