Wednesday 22nd February 2023
Now an adviser, consultant and coach to a range of international book industry companies and government organisations, Simon has held positions in trade, academic and professional, educational and illustrated publishing in the UK for over 30 years. A member of Macmillan’s Graduate Recruitment Scheme, where he gained experience of sales, marketing and editorial management both at home and overseas, he was also a founder director of Pan Macmillan South Africa. He later took senior roles at Phaidon Press and Headline Book Publishing before becoming International Director of The Random House Group (now part of Penguin Random House) in 1997, a post he held until 2014. During successive phases of expansion at Random House he oversaw strategic developments in Europe and East Asia as well as leading the start-up of Random House India in New Delhi. As a Director of Random House South Africa he played a key role in the establishment of its local publishing list Umuzi, introducing the project in person to Nelson Mandela; and under his stewardship Random House won the British Book Award for Export in three successive years from 2005 to 2007. From 2009 to 2011 Simon was Chair of the UK Publishers Association’s International Board, leading copy-right protection campaigns jointly with the PA’s International Director. He has been closely involved in publishing education for many years, giving seminars on a range of courses, and si]ng on the Industry Advisory Board of the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies. Since 2014 he has represented the UK PA on the Executive of the Federation of European Publishers in Brussels, and from 2014 to 2019 he fulfilled the same role at the International Publishers Association in Geneva. He is a trustee of the Orchestra of the Swan in Stratford-upon-Avon, and lives in Oxford.