John Wiley & Sons president and CEO Stephen M. Smith announced he will be retiring, due to previously-disclosed medical reasons, as of June 1. The company's board has elected current executive v-p and COO Mark Allin as Smith's successor.
Smith first joined the company in 1992 as v-p, Wiley Asia, and rose to COO in 2009, before succeeding Will Pesce as president and CEO in 2011.
“Steve is retiring from Wiley with a significant legacy,” said chairman Peter Wiley. “He was instrumental in building up our international operations, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, and he successfully managed the integration of our largest-ever acquisition, Blackwell in 2007. As CEO, he divested our consumer publishing assets, acquired a number of very important solutions businesses in education and professional learning, and restrained the cost basis of our business, freeing up funds to invest in digital learning experiences and solutions. We are grateful for his many accomplishments over the years and wish him and his family the very best in retirement.”
Allin has been at Wiley for 14 years, joining the company with the acquisition of Capstone Publishing, which he founded, in 2000.
