Penguin Random House chairman John Makinson will retire on December 31 after three and a half years at the position and more than 15 years with Penguin and PRH. He will be succeeded by Philip Hoffman, formerly chief corporate finance and strategic development officer at Pearson, on January 1, 2017. Hoffman has served on the PRH board of directors since the company’s inception and has been chairman of the audit committee.
Bertelsmann chairman and ceo Thomas Rabe said of Hoffman in the announcement: “From the beginning, he has closely supported Penguin Random House’s development as an equally expert and responsible advisor. I look forward to working even more intensively with him in the future. At the same time, I would like to sincerely thank John Makinson for his outstanding contribution to the Penguin Random House success story over the past few years. The smooth integration of the two companies, the ongoing development of Penguin Random House, and many of the company’s successes would have been inconceivable without him.” Hoffman added: “I am delighted to be taking on the role of Chairman of Penguin Random House, continuing the outstanding Board leadership begun by my colleague and friend John Makinson. Since my days at Penguin, book publishing has always been close to my heart. As a member of the Penguin Random House Board these past three years, I have really enjoyed working with Markus Dohle and his team, and I look forward to plugging in more deeply with them to help drive the continued success of this amazing company.”
On Makinson’s retirement, Pearson ceo John Fallon said: “John Makinson spent a decade leading the creative and commercial resurgence of Penguin and the last four years ensuring the tie up with Random House builds on that success. In an engagement with Pearson that dates back to 1979, John has proved himself to be a highly talented and inspirational colleague for all seasons — distinguished journalist, finance director, publishing executive and leader, highly regarded by his colleagues and industry peers. We thank him for all his work on Pearson’s behalf and wish him every future success.”
Mike Sugarman has joined VitalSource as director of platform sales, based out of the company’s Boston office Previously he was senior vice president, Emerald Publishing Group, leading North America sales group and publishing operations.
Maureen Cole has joined William Morrow as associate director of publicity. Previously she was senior publicity manager at Simon & Schuster.
At Rodale Books, Angie Giammarino has been promoted to associate director of marketing.