Christine Gillespie has been named SVP and publisher at Open Road Integrated Media, reporting to CEO David Steinberger. The Open Road publishing team, comprising Emma Chapnick, Stefan Dziemianowicz, and Sara Kapheim, will report to Gillespie.
Gillespie will oversee the company's entire publishing catalog, along with its newly launched Re-Discovery Lit imprint, audiobook publishing and licensing arms, and copublishing partnerships. “I’m excited to join David and the team at Open Road,” she told PW. “I’ve long been an admirer of their dynamic business and look forward to contributing and adding value wherever I can.”
Gillespie is a 20-year veteran of Penguin Random House, where she was SVP and publishing director at Knopf before leaving the company last year. Prior to that role, she spent years in multiple positions at Knopf, Pantheon, Schocken, and Random House. Prior to her career at PRH, Gillespie served stints at Simon & Schuster and Borders.
“Chris’s expertise is rooted in her diverse background in sales, marketing, and retail, giving her an end-to-end understanding of publishing operations,” Steinberger wrote in a letter to staff. “She brings a strategic, comprehensive, and growth sensibility to the role.”
Gillespie succeeds VP and publisher Mara Anastas, who will step into the new role of VP of special projects. Anastas, Steinberger wrote, “has established a strong foundation from which I am sure Chris will lead us to new heights,” adding: “I want to congratulate and thank Mara on the great progress of the past few years, as she launched Re-Discovery Lit, grew our efforts with audio books, and built a great publishing team.”
This article has been updated with further information.
