CEO of Osprey Group Rebecca Smart will move to Penguin Random House UK at a date to be determined to take over as managing director of Ebury. Longtime Ebury leader Fiona MacIntrye is retiring after nearly 30 years with the unit. PRH UK ceo Tom Weldon says that MacIntyre had postponed her retirement until after the Penguin Random House merger was completed: “I confess I was stunned when Fiona told me last year that she had decided to retire and I am deeply grateful that she agreed to stay on for 12 months, so she could support me and her team through our Penguin Random House merger. Fiona has built a hugely successful business which has an unparalleled breadth of non-fiction publishing.”
Weldon added, “Fiona is an outstanding businesswoman, manager and leader…. She has built a great team and has made Ebury a very happy place to work. We shall all miss her very much.” Smart says in the announcement, “I shall always be grateful for the fantastic opportunities I was given at Osprey and the many wonderful people I worked with, but the chance to join the Ebury team to work alongside such talented people and their amazing authors, books and imprint brands, is just too great to resist.”
Weldon says of Smart, “Under Rebecca’s leadership, Osprey has doubled in size through both acquisition and organic growth. She has established it as a multi-specialist, consumer-focused publishing business with strong international sales and has led innovation particularly in the digital area and new business models. Rebecca is one of the publishing industry’s leading thinkers.”
Osprey indicates that “an energetic search will be put in place to recruit a worthy successor to the leadership of the dynamic Osprey portfolio of publishing businesses.” Osprey chairman Robin Black comments, “We shall be very sorry to see Rebecca leave, but we wish her every success in her future leadership of Ebury. She has done a most wonderful job at Osprey over the last 15 years, rising to CEO in 2008, leading the company to be a hugely admired innovator in all of the specialist consumer communities for which it publishes.” Similarly, the UK’s Independent Publishers Guild (IPG) — where Smart had just moved up to chair from vice chair — will be selecting a replacement as well.
In other personnel news, Scholastic UK has promoted Miriam Farbey to publisher, children’s books, effective March 6. Reporting to her are Alison Green, publisher at Alison Green Books; Elizabeth Scoggins, editorial director, nonfiction; Maya Maraj, licensing scout; and Samantha Smith, promoted to the new created role of publisher, fiction and picture books. Farbey reports to Catherine Bell in her new position, while retaining her current responsibility for Scholastic global nonfiction publishing — reporting to both Bell and Ellie Berger in that role.
Bell said in the announcement: “Miriam is a truly creative publisher who will lead our publishing team in acquiring and building UK and global bestsellers. Our child-centric approach and relentless market feedback complements Miriam’s publishing background and creative skill.”
Linda Matthews is retiring from Chicago Review Press after 39 years with the company, most recently as acting director of Chicago Review Press and IPG. Matthews was the fourth employee to join CRP in 1975, initially as editor, then as publisher in 1985, and finally, director. Matthews said in a statement: “This company has been one of the big engagements of my life…It has been a very fine thing, being part of CRP, Inc.” Matthews added she looks forward to “free time, new projects (including a book tentatively titled VOICES OF THE LOYAL SOUTH) outings with grandchildren and visits to the CRP office from time to time.”
Anne Kosmoski has been promoted to assistant director of publicity at Gotham/Avery.
At the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency, Evan Gregory has been promoted to agent.
Kendra Harpster has left Random House. She can be reached at her personal email address: kharpster@gmail.com.
Writer of romance, mystery, and suspense Aimee Thurlo, 62, died February 28. She was the author of more than 70 novels, many of them co-written with her husband David Thurlo, including the Ella Clah series of Native American mysteries.