The Bookseller.com

6th July 2009

Roche made sales director at HC UK

14.11.08 Graeme Neill

HarperCollins has appointed former Borders c.e.o. David Roche as its new group sales and trade marketing director. He succeeds David Swarbrick, who was appointed HarperCollins’ new m.d. for international business development in August. Roche takes up his position on Monday 17th November. He will sit on the executive committee and report to Victoria Barnsley, c.e.o. and publisher of HarperCollins.

“There’s nothing we like more than a poacher turned gamekeeper and David’s huge experience of the retail sector, along with his extensive leadership skills, will really boost our sales and trade marketing teams at this crucial time,” said Barnsley. “He has already made a difference to our business after just two months.”

The widely expected move follows Roche’s two-month secondment to the publisher in August to review its sales structure. The former Waterstone’s product director resigned from Borders UK in January, several months after investment firm Risk Capital Partners took over the retailer. Roche was succeeded by Borders’ former managing director Philip Downer.

Roche said: “I am absolutely delighted to be taking on this new role at such a prestigious and celebrated publisher as HarperCollins with its fabulous array of authors and its panoramic breadth of publishing. I am very excited by the opportunity to use my experience in retail and entertainment over nearly 20 years, along with a positive passion for books, to help get HarperCollins’ terrific publishing programme out to as many readers as possible.”

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