President and publisher of Harper Children’s Suzanne Murphy “will be leaving the company to pursue other interests” at the end of September, the company announced. President and publisher for the Morrow Group Liate Stehlik will take on additional responsibilities, serving as president and publisher for Harper Children’s as well.
Murphy, who joined the company in 2015, says in the announcement, “It has been an honor to work with our amazingly talented authors and illustrators, my brilliant, creative, and passionate teams across the Children’s division, and valued colleagues throughout the company. It also has been a highlight of my career in children’s publishing, and a source of immense pride, to work for a company so steeped in the history of children’s books, while simultaneously publishing groundbreaking books and introducing exciting new talent. I am confident that the children’s business will continue to thrive and grow under Liate’s leadership.”
Additionally, Dan Schwartz has been promoted to evp, CFO and head of North American operations. Global Chief Information Officer Matt Bennett joins the global executive committee, now reporting to Schwartz. SVP, Chief People Officer Zandra Magariño will expand her role to include oversight of real estate.
CEO Brian Murray notes: “Earlier this year, we launched a transformation effort to identify new ways to work smarter and more efficiently across North America and globally. To that end, we are clarifying and consolidating our executive leadership team. This new structure will allow us to implement key publishing, systems, and operational changes to confront current challenges and seize existing opportunities in our rapidly evolving industry.”