Doug Foot is retiring from Penguin Random House Canada, where he was evp, chief financial officer. Succeeding him, effective immediately, is chief operating officer Barry Gallant, who will oversee the finance, contracts, and information technology departments while keeping responsibility for publishing and sales operations, as well as warehouse and office administration. Foot, who first joined Random House of Canada in 1993, will staying through March 2016 “to assist with year-end and ongoing projects.”
Newly reporting to Gallant are Cheralyn Wheeler, controller; Samantha North, director, contracts; and Ed Brooks, director, I.T. Melanie Britton and Donna Miller and their teams, as well as James Rowan, also continue to report to Gallant. Trish Moore, svp, director of human resources, will now report to Penguin Random House Canada president and ceo Brad Martin.
Of Foot’s retirement, Martin said in the announcement: “Doug is a fierce advocate for our employees in benefits negotiations and a role model for uncompromising ethics. In recent years, Doug has increasingly become more involved in our Canadian publishing business, and his insights and publishing acumen have made a significant contribution to the growth of our publishing…I have great respect for Doug and all he has brought to this company. His professionalism, his excellent financial advice, his understanding of our business, his loyalty to the people he works with, and his dedication to the company have made him an outstanding contributor and a valued colleague and advisor to me.”
Diana Lachatanere has joined the Faith Childs Literary Agency as subsidiary rights associate, with primary responsibility for the Claude McKay Estate, which the agency will now represent. Lachatanere spent the past 18 years as assistant director for collections and services and curator of the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books division of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
Dan Verdick will take over as director of national sales position at Bookmasters. Most recently, he was vp of national accounts for Children’s Plus.
Honors
Poets & Writers will honor Viking vp, executive editor Paul Slovak with the 2016 Editor’s Award, given for his “outstanding contribution to the publication of poetry or literary prose over a sustained period of time,” while Elizabeth George; organizers of Undocupoets Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, Christopher Soto, and Javier Zamora; and VIDA co-founders Erin Belieu, Cate Marvin, and Ann Townsend will receive the Writer for Writers Awards.
Mystery Writers of America has named Walter Mosley as the 2016 Grand Master, to be honored at the Edgar Awards Banquet next April. The Raven Awards for “outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing” will go to Margaret Kinsman and Sisters in Crime.
Still Available
Just a reminder that our PM 14 anniversary discount offer remains active and is transforming itself into a pre-holiday offer running through Black Friday, American Express Saturday (we’re a Member Favorite, by the way), and even Magic Monday, aka the end of November. Try PM now and get the first month’s membership for only $15, by using the enrollment code First15 when you enroll.