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Press Release

Hachette UK appoints Head of Digital and announces formation of a UK Digital Board03/06/2009

Hachette UK today announces the appointment of George Walkley to the role of Head of Digital for the Hachette UK group*.

George, who is currently Marketing Director and Director of Digital Strategy at Little, Brown Book Group, will take up the new role from July 1st, reporting to Richard Kitson, the group’s Commercial Director.  George will be responsible for enabling and driving implementation of digital initiatives and digital strategy across the Hachette UK publishers.   The federal structure of Hachette UK and the publishing autonomy enjoyed by the individual publishers within the group means the role will involve constant interaction with and collaboration across the Hachette publishers in the UK and to some extent overseas.  George will also be a key member of the Hachette UK Digital Board which will consist of representatives of senior management from across the UK group chaired by Tim Hely Hutchinson. 

Hachette UK continues to make a significant investment in its digital infrastructure and digital publishing.  The appointment of the Head of Digital is the latest in a rolling programme of important initiatives across the group which includes the phased rollout of the Hachette Livre owned digital warehouse and distribution platform, Numilog, the continued development of and investment in ground-breaking educational digital product and the rapid expansion of trade digital publishing.

George has worked at Little, Brown Book Group for the last four years, having joined from Ottakar’s, and has built up excellent experience in key roles at L,BBG.  He is involved in a number of industry-level initiatives through the Publishers Association and BIC, including chairing the TPC’s Territorial Rights Working Group.     

Tim Hely Hutchinson said, “There are a great many high quality digital initiatives in progress across the Hachette UK group but the pace of change is so rapid that we have decided both to accelerate and coordinate our digital publishing work.

I am particularly delighted that George Walkley has agreed to accept this important strategic leadership role.  He has been a great success since he joined us; he has excellent specialist digital publishing knowledge and he has for some time been the person to whom all of us in the group have turned for help and advice on digital matters, so that I know his appointment will be widely welcomed”

George Walkley said, “I am thrilled to be taking on this new role in such a dynamic, fast-moving area. I look forward to working with colleagues throughout Hachette to continue to improve our digital offer.”

George will be based at the Hachette UK offices in the Euston Road.

For further information, please contact Clare Harington, Group Communications Director on 0207 873 6108.

* Excluding Hodder Education.

          
Hachette UK is the largest and one of the most diversified book publishers in the UK. The UK group is made up of several publishing companies and imprints including Hachette Children’s Books, Headline Publishing Group, Hodder & Stoughton, Hodder Education, John Murray, Little, Brown Publishing Group, Octopus Publishing Group and Orion Publishing Group with international companies Hachette Book Group Australia, Hachette New Zealand, Hachette India, Hachette Ireland and Hachette Scotland.
Hachette UK is owned by Hachette Livre, the second largest publisher in the world, based in France, and led by Président Directeur Général Arnaud Nourry.  Hachette Livre is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lagardère, a leading company on the Paris stock exchange.