People 9/18

Nihar Malaviya, appointed interim ceo starting in January, has formally been made ceo of the publisher. Bertelsmann chair and ceo Thomas Rabe says in the announcement: “I am delighted that he is now taking over responsibility for Penguin Random House on a permanent basis. As interim CEO, Nihar has set an important strategic course. Most importantly, he has transformed the structures at Penguin Random House so that the publishers and publishing groups can work more creatively and entrepreneurially. I am confident that he will continue to develop the Group with great vigor.”

Mary Anne Thompson will close her eponymous scouting company at the end of this year, after more than 33 years in business. Going forward, she reports that she “will be pursuing other opportunities and is looking forward to this next chapter.”

Duvall Osteen has joined as an agent based New York, reporting to Christy Fletcher and Byrd Leavell. She was at Aragi, Inc. for 11 years.

Casey Hampton has joined as senior designer. He was most recently at Pearson.