Cengage Learning is restructuring to consolidate its business units into “one streamlined operating group” and two key executives are leaving as a result. They are bringing together their academic and professional group, the Gale library/reference division, and their international operations and say the transition “is expected to be completed in September.”
President of Gale Patrick Sommers will retire at the end of July, and president of academic and professional group Ron Mobed will leave the company. A new executive committee includes ceo Ron Dunn; Adrian Butler, Executive Vice President, Human Resources; Ken Carson, General Counsel; Dean Durbin, Chief Financial Officer; Rich Foley, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing; Manuel Guzman, Executive Vice President, Learning and Research Solutions; and William Rieders, Executive Vice President, New Media.
The Center for Fiction is giving their 2010 Maxwell E. Perkins Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Field of Fiction to Amanda Urban at ICM. She is the first agent to the get the award since it was created in 2005.
In the Random House publicity department, Karen Fink has been promoted to publicity manager, and Maria Braeckel and Kristina Miller are both moving up to publicist.
At Simon & Schuster Children’s, Bernadette Cruz has been promoted to associate publicist, and Deane Norton has been hired as associate director of sub-rights. Most recently she was subrights manager for Macmillan Children’s FSG and Roaring Brook Press imprints.
At Scholastic’s trade publishing division, Lisa Sandell has been promoted to executive editor, Scholastic Press. Bess Braswell has joined the company as associate director of marketing, paperbacks, Point, Cartwheel, Licensing & Graphix. Most recently, she was marketing manager for Simon & Schuster’s Aladdin and Pulse. David Sandler has been hired as associate director of digital marketing & advertising. Most recently, he was manager of marketing and social media for American Express’ establishment services division.
In the UK, Quercus has hired Mark Thwaite for the new position of digital marketing manager. He has been managing editor of The Book Depository while also running the blog ReadySteadyBook.
At retailer Blackwell, Trevor Goul-Wheeker will become chairman, as John Hubert moves down to deputy chairman. Goul-Wheeker joined the Blackwell board in September 2009 and takes over from John Hubert, who has been appointed deputy chairman.