Gail Rebuck

Chair and Chief Executive
The Random House Group

Born in London in 1952, Gail Rebuck was educated at the Lycée Français de Londres and took a degree in Intellectual History at the University of Sussex in 1974. Gail  started her publishing career as a Production Assistant, moving on to become an Editor and, in 1979, joined the Hamlyn Group as non-fiction Publisher to launch a new mass-market paperback list.

In 1982 she was one of the founder directors of Century Publishing and, as a Publishing Director of their non-fiction list, was instrumental in the rapid growth of the company. Century merged with Hutchinson in 1985 and was acquired in 1989 by Random House Inc, the world’s largest English language trade publishing group.  In 1991, Gail was appointed Chair and Chief Executive of Random House UK with overall responsibility for the publishing company, its three distribution centres and overseas subsidiaries. In 1998, Random House was acquired by the Bertelsmann international media group, uniting all the Random House imprints with those of Transworld Publishers to create The Random House Group Ltd with Gail as Chair and Chief Executive.

For 10 years, Gail was a Trustee of the Institute for Public Policy Research, a Trustee of The Work Foundation and also a member of the UK Government’s Creative Industries Task Force. Gail is a Non-Executive Director of BSkyB, a Trustee of  the National Literacy Trust, a Director of Skillset (Sector Skills for Creative Media), and sits on the Council of the Royal College of Art.

Gail co-launched the World Book Day charity in 1998 and is currently chairing the Steering Committee of Quick Reads, the UK adult literacy initiative launched on World Book Day 2006. Gail has a diploma from The Wharton Business School, honorary doctorates from the Universities of Sussex, Exeter and Oxford Brookes and she is an Honorary Fellow of the London Business School.

In 2008, Gail became the second woman to deliver the Stationers’ Company Annual Lecture in London, after Eiluned Rees in 1992. In 2009 she was named Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year and was also presented with the Gerry Davies Award for services to the book trade at the British Book Industry Awards, with special reference to her work with World Book Day and Quick Reads. She was awarded a CBE in the 2000 New Years Honours List and was made a Dame (DBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours List.

Ian Hudson

Deputy Chief Executive
The Random House Group

Ian started his career at British Rail after winning a scholarship onto the company’s finance and management training scheme.  Once qualified, he worked for British Rail for three years in various management positions before leaving in 1988 to join magazine publisher, Marshall Cavendish as Financial Controller.  In 1990 he became European Manager for Marshall Cavendish, successfully restructuring its European businesses and returning them to profitability.

Ian joined Random House in 1992 and played a leading role in its financial turnaround.  In 1996 he was appointed to the Board as Group Commercial Director and simultaneously held the role of Managing Director of Random House Children’s Books.  In 1998, after the acquisition by Bertelsmann, he was appointed Group Managing Director of the enlarged group and led its financial and operational integration.  He became Deputy Group Chief Executive in 2005 and has spearheaded the Group’s growth strategy, including leading the acquisitions of controlling stakes in BBC Books and Virgin Books and 50% of Mainstream Publishing.

Ian was elected a member of the Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann AG in November 2008, was founder Chair of the Bertelsmann Operations Group and is the current Chair of  the Bertelsmann Management Representation Council. Ian is a Director and former President of the Publishers Association.  He is also a former Chair of the Publishers Association and Booksellers Association Liaison Group, the Trade Publishers Council and a former member of the Government’s Information Age Partnership (IAP). He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA) and a member of the Young President’s Organisation (YPO).

Richard Cable

Managing Director
Vintage Publishing

Richard Cable started his career at Heffers Bookshop in Cambridge after graduating from the University of East Anglia. In 1984 he joined Sphere Publishing as a Sales Representative, before moving to Penguin in 1986 where he was promoted to Paperback Sales Manager. Richard joined Random House in 1994 as Sales Director for CCV and Ebury. He went on to take a number of roles and responsibilities at the company, including Deputy Sales Director and Associate Publisher, before becoming Managing Director of CHA in 2002, then Managing Director of The Random House Division in 2003. In 2007 The Random House Division was split into two separate companies, CCV (which later became Vintage Publishing) and CHA (which later became Cornerstone Publishing). Richard retained responsibility for CCV whilst establishing a new company dedicated to developing new publishing portfolios. Richard is a member of the Man Booker Advisory Committee and sits on the steering group for the Galaxy British Book Awards.

Dan Franklin

Publisher
Vintage Publishing

Dan Franklin began his career in publishing in 1970 with Peter Owen. He went on to work at the Harvill Press, Harper Collins, William Heinemann and Secker & Warburg before joining Jonathan Cape as Publisher in 1993.  He became Publisher across all CCV imprints, including Chatto & Windus, Harvill Secker, The Bodley Head and Vintage, in 2003.

Dan has worked with many of the world's most acclaimed literary authors, such as Eric Newby, Colin Thubron, Roddy Doyle, Bill Bryson, Louis de Bernieres, J.M. Coetzee, Ian McEwan, Salman Rushdie, Julian Barnes, Martin Amis, Piers Brendon, Jung Chang, Philip Roth, Thomas Pynchon, Tom Wolfe, Howard Jacobson, Iain Pears, Mark Haddon, Audrey Niffenegger and Chris Ware.

Dan was voted Editor of the Year at the British Book Awards in 1991 and CCV was named Publisher of the Year in 2008. In 2011 CCV became Vintage Publishing.

Susan Sandon

Managing Director
Cornerstone Publishing

After graduating from the University of East Sussex with a first class degree in American Literature, followed by a masters degree in the Modern Novel at the University of East Anglia, Susan started her publishing career in 1986 in the sales and marketing department at Headline. She moved to Virago as Publicity Manager in 1989, becoming Marketing Director shortly thereafter and joining the Virago board. In 1992 Susan moved to Penguin as Publicity Director, also taking responsibility for Penguin Group corporate affairs.

In 1995 Susan joined Random House as Group Publicity and Marketing Director. In 2003 she changed roles to become Deputy Managing Director of CHA (now known as Cornerstone Publishing) and was promoted to Managing Director four years later. Susan is a founder member of the Orange Prize women’s committee and was responsible for securing Orange’s sponsorship of that prize.

Cornerstone publishes a diverse range of authors: from brand-name novelists such as James Patterson, Karin Slaughter and Katie Fforde; quality fiction and crime writers such as Robert Harris, Sebastian Faulks,  Ruth Rendell, Kathy Reichs, Donna Leon, John Harvey and Douglas Coupland; autobiographies from major celebrities such as James Corden and Katie Price and high-profile non-fiction works including Tony Blair's A Journey, Bill Clinton's My Life and The Alastair Campbell Diaries.

Fiona MacIntyre

Managing Director
Ebury Publishing

After graduating from St Andrews University, Fiona MacIntyre joined Dorling Kindersley (then a small, innovative, privately owned company) as Editorial Assistant. In 1985 she moved to Ebury Press, the book publishing wing of the National Magazine Company and has since seen the company evolve under subsequent owners Century, Random House and Bertelsmann.

As Publisher she was influential in Ebury Press’ growth from a small imprint to a major company within The Random House Group and since becoming Managing Director in 2006 has overseen the integration of BBC Books into Ebury Publishing and subsequently Virgin Books.

Ebury has a reputation for publishing bestsellers in almost every genre of commercial non-fiction from household names such as Delia Smith, David Attenborough, Stuart Maconie, Rick Stein, Alan Titchmarsh, Danny Wallace and Annabel Karmel. Imprints include Ebury Press, BBC Books, Virgin Books, Vermilion, Rider and Time Out Books. Ebury has also recently started to publish commercial fiction.

Philippa Dickinson

Managing Director
Random House Children's Publishers UK

Philippa has been working in children’s publishing for over 30 years.  She started an office junior working at Puffin Books and went on to spend eleven years at the company, working her way up to Deputy Chief Editor. She moved to Transworld Publishers in 1986 to become Publisher of Corgi Children’s Books.  Given the brief to build a successful children’s list, Philippa then started the multi-award winning Doubleday Children’s Books hardback list in 1989.

Following a merger of Transworld and Random House's children's divisions in 2001, Philippa became Managing Director of Random House Children’s Books (RHCB).  David Fickling Books joined RHCB in 2001 and in 2008 RHCB acquired Tamarind Books. Philippa was Chair of the Children's Book Group at the Publishers Association for 11 years and Chair of World Book Day 2007.

One of the top five children's publishers in the UK, Random House Children's Publishers UK publishes titles from bestselling writers such as Jacqueline Wilson, Terry Pratchett, Anne Fine, Philip Pullman, John Boyne, Mark Haddon and Roald Dahl amongst many others. Classic names in illustration include Quentin Blake, Helen Cooper, Shirley Hughes, John Burningham and Babette Cole.

Larry Finlay

Managing Director
Transworld Publishers

Larry joined Transworld in 1983 as Copywriter in its fledgling marketing department and rose to become Marketing Director in 1989. He moved across to Editorial in 1997 working as Paperbacks Publisher, then Deputy Publisher. He has been Managing Director since 2001.

Transworld Publishers is one of the UK’s leading publishers of bestselling fiction and non-fiction titles and has been named Publisher of the Year three times at the British Book Industry Awards. Across its imprints, Transworld publishes a diverse range of authors including Dan Brown, Bill Bryson, Lee Child, Jilly Cooper, Richard Dawkins, Sophie Kinsella, Andy McNab, Paul McKenna, Terry Pratchett, Joanna Trollope and Markus Zusak. Transworld also publishes Dr. D.G. Hessayon’s Expert gardening series and is the publishing partner of The Eden Project and Channel 4. In 2008, a new imprint, Transworld Ireland, was launched, dedicated to sourcing and publishing the best of Irish fiction and non-fiction. 

Bill Scott-Kerr

Publisher
Transworld Publishers

Following an early career working in bookselling and publishing at Pan Macmillan, Bill Scott-Kerr joined Transworld Publishers in 1994 as Editorial Director for Corgi and Black Swan. He was promoted to Publishing Director in 1997, to Deputy Publisher in 2003, and stepped up to the coveted role of Publisher across all Transworld imprints in 2006.

Bill is the only editor in the world to have acquired all of Dan Brown's books up to and including The Da Vinci Code. He also edits Frederick Forsyth, Andy McNab, Gerald Seymour, John O'Farrell, Monica Ali, General Sir Mike Jackson, Robert Goddard, Rowland White, Billy Bragg and Tom Bradby.

In his role of publisher of Transworld, he is also responsible for, among others, Sophie Kinsella, Terry Pratchett, Bill Bryson, Joanna Trollope, Richard Dawkins, Jilly Cooper, Lee Child, John Irving, Stephen Hawking, Danielle Steel, Ben Elton and Tess Gerritsen. He was voted Editor of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2006.

Jake Lingwood

Publisher
Ebury Publishing

Jake Lingwood joined small independent Boxtree in 1992 as receptionist, moving quickly into editorial to work on a wide range of television tie-ins. In 1997 he joined Random House as Editorial Director for Ebury Press where he commissioned music and popular culture titles. In 1998 he published comedian Tony Hawks’ Round Ireland With A Fridge which went on to sell over 500,000 copies and was the starting point for Ebury’s now substantial narrative non-fiction publishing programme.

By 2002 Jake was Publishing Director for the Ebury Press imprint. In 2004 he was instrumental in setting up a joint venture with Time Out for their travel guide publishing and later that year he was promoted to Deputy Publisher of Ebury Publishing, taking on the additional responsibility of the Rider, and Vermilion imprints. Following Random House’s acquisition of BBC Books in 2006 Jake took responsibility for the new imprint and became Publisher of the Ebury Publishing division.

OPERATIONS

Brian Davies

Head of Operations (UK and Overseas).
The Random House Group

Brian Davies started his publishing career at William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. working in UK and then European sales, before transferring to Collins New Zealand in 1976. By 1980 he had become Sales & Marketing Director and was then asked to transfer to Collins in Australia where he became Marketing Director. In 1981 Brian left Collins in order to found Pan Books Australia as Managing Director and soon after Pan New Zealand was formed with Brian as Chairman. Both companies later became the enlarged Pan Macmillan trade publishing entities which Brian continued to lead until 1987. Returning to the UK in 1987 he became Sales & Marketing Director for Pan Macmillan UK and Chairman of the overseas companies and was on the Executive Board of Macmillan.

Brian joined Random House in 1993 as President of Random House International. Based in New York, he was responsible for all export sales from both Random House US and Random House UK to the rest of the world, as well as Chairman of the overseas companies in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India. He returned to the UK in 2002, retaining responsibility for the overseas companies, becoming Executive Chairman of Ebury Publishing and also taking responsibility for The Random House Group Library & Archive in Rushden. In May 2009 Brian became Head of Operations (UK & Overseas), adding UK sales, international sales, distribution and IT to his existing responsibilities of the overseas companies, Mainstream and the Rushden library.

Garry Prior

Group Sales Director
The Random House Group

After two years working for a consumer market research company, Garry joined Transworld in 1980 as Marketing Assistant to the Sales Director. He worked in numerous marketing roles before being asked to move to sales to become Sales Manager for Transworld in 1986, followed by Sales Director in 1989. In 1996 he became Sales and Marketing Director for Transworld.

In 2004 in addition to his responsibilities at Transworld he became Deputy Group Sales Director for The Random House Group and was promoted to Group Sales Director two years later.

Mark Williams

Managing Director
Random House Distribution

Mark joined Random House in 2001 as Managing Director, Random House Distribution Division. Since then Mark has led the turnaround of the business to profitability, whilst instilling a service-led culture with an ethos of continuous improvement. Growth has been a key driver and more recent developments have been the new Publishing Services for clients, particularly in the digital arena. In 2004, Mark took on responsibility for Random House Group IT and was appointed to The Random House Group Board.

There are two Random House Distribution sites - The Book Service (TBS), Grantham Book Services (GBS) - which together form the UK’s largest book distributor for trade and independent publishers. In addition to distributing The Random House Group titles, Random House Distribution also has more than 60 third-party client publishers, including Faber & Faber, Quercus, AA Publishing and Lonely Planet.

For The Random House Group Press Office enquiries please contact:

Maureen Corish
Group Communications Director
T: 44 (0)20 7840 8878
E: mcorish@randomhouse.co.uk