Jaci Updike has been promoted to the newly created position of chief revenue officer, from president of sales and marketing, at Penguin Random House U.S., PRH CEO Nihar Malaviya announced in a letter to staff on November 9. In the position, Updike will continue to report to Malaviya and to oversee "all aspects" of the publisher's sales and consumer marketing operations.
"Since her start as a Bantam Books field rep, Jaci has demonstrated a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within our industry and has continuously delivered outstanding results," Malaviya wrote. "Steadfast in the face of rapid market transformation, Jaci has been instrumental in expanding our reach and engagement with customers across all physical and digital channels, strengthening our position in the market. I have personally worked closely with Jaci for more than a dozen years, and I’m grateful not only for her expertise and excellent account relationships but also for her strong leadership skills, underpinned by collaboration, pragmatism, and care."
In addition, Jeff Weber, formerly senior v-p and director of online and digital sales, has been promoted to deputy CRO, continuing to report to Updike, and Michael Rotondo has been promoted to senior v-p of online and digital sales, from v-p, continuing to report to Weber. Weber will newly oversee PRH's consumer marketing teams in addition to the online and digital sales, Amazon merchandising services, and business development teams, and will join the U.S. Lead Team.
"Our cultural aspirations and commercial objectives are directly linked together," Malaviya wrote in the memo. He continued: "Commercial success, in the form of higher sales and profits, enables us to invest more into publishing even more books that help us achieve our cultural mission," adding that "sales growth" is the "best way to combat today’s high-cost environment."
