Brian O'Leary, a well-known industry consultant who heads up Magellan Media Partners, has been named the new executive director of the Book Industry Study Group.
O'Leary, who will begin October 3, succeeds Mark Kuyper who resigned from the position in August after one year on the job.
“We feel very fortunate that Brian has decided to join our organization as executive director,” said BISG chair Tara Catogge. "Over nearly two decades as a consultant, he has worked with a wide range of book publishers and associations, using his insight and experience to shape their strategy and operations."
O'Leary, who has written the Digital Perspectives column for PW for about one year, has long ties to BISG. He served as a board member and worked on several BISG projects, including a study of metadata in the publishing supply chain.
"For the last four decades, the book publishing ecosystem has relied on BISG for leading-edge information, standards and research," O’Leary said. "Formats, channels and markets continue to evolve, and BISG serves a central role in improving revenues, promoting product visibility, reducing costs and ensuring transparency across the book industry supply chain, both in the U.S. and across global markets. I look forward to the opportunity to continue and extend that work."
BISG will celebrate 40 years of industry leadership at its annual meeting of members on September 30.
