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Catherine Bell is to join Scholastic as co-managing director and head of publishing, marketing and trade sales for Scholastic UK. Steve Thompson is promoted to co-managing director, operations.
Bell, previously UK sales and marketing head of DK, will join on 10th September, based in Scholastic’s London headquarters. She will be responsible for all publishing and marketing for Scholastic’s trade, book clubs, book fairs, and education divisions as well as for Scholastic UK’s web team. She will also be responsible for directing trade sales.
Reporting to Catherine will be group heads Scholastic m.d. Hilary Murray Hill for trade; Julie Randles, m.d. Scholastic Book Clubs, for school-based marketing and product acquisition, including domestic and international clubs and UK fairs; and Gordon Knowles, head of Mary Glasgow.
Steve Thompson, currently managing director of book fairs for Scholastic UK, will become co-managing director, operations. Thompson will be responsible for telemarketing and customer service, warehousing and fulfilment, information technology, school channel sales management and human resources plus coordination of financial operations. He will be based in Scholastic’s distribution and customer service centres in Southam and Witney.
Scholastic c.e.o. and chairman Dick Robinson said: “This past fiscal year ended 31st May has seen a significant turnaround for Scholastic UK, which attained a strong operating profit for the year based on cost reduction and our outstanding children’s trade list, including the Hunger Games trilogy. After a period of focusing on reducing costs, we are now ready to resume our drive for profitable growth.
“We are excited that Catherine Bell, who has had a marvellous career at Penguin, has decided to take responsibility for our publishing and marketing in both print and digital forms. Working together with Scholastic’s children’s book teams in the US, Canada, Australia and around the world, she will build the UK side of our global publishing lists and authors, while strengthening our marketing.
“Working in partnership with Steve Thompson, she will help move our UK forward at an exciting time for publishing with new digital distribution channels bringing even broader impact to children’s reading around the world.”
Bell worked at Penguin for 19 years in the Puffin and DK departments. Thompson has worked at Scholastic for 17 years, beginning as a management accountant for fairs. In 2008 he was made head of the book fairs division.
Earlier this week, it was announced Alan Hurcombe, Scholastic group m.d., was to leave the company in July.