Madeline McIntosh, U.S. president & COO of Penguin Random House, has named four executives to new cross-company sales leadership positions. The four – Felicia Frazier, Jaci Updike, Katya Shannon, and Julie Black – ”will work to enhance and strengthen the existing Penguin and Random House sales teams,” McIntosh said in a memo.
In her memo, McIntosh noted that the Penguin Adult Hardcover, Penguin Adult Paperback, Penguin Young Readers, Random House Adult and Random House Children’s sales departments, will each continue “as separate and distinct entities.” In addition to the four appointments, Joan Demayo, currently senior v-p, director, Random House Children’s Sales and Special Markets, will step down from her current position. According to McIntosh, Demayo will now serve as an advisor to her on a range of initiatives related to sales and business development, and will work with the senior management team to assist them with the transition.
The roles of the new PRH sales team are detailed in McIntosh’s memo found below.
FELICIA FRAZIER, formerly Senior Vice President, Director, Sales, Penguin Young Readers, is appointed Senior Vice President, Director, Young Readers Sales, Penguin Random House LLC, under McIntosh. The Random House Children’s and Penguin Young Readers Sales departments now report directly to Frazier. [Editor's note: Before joining Penguin in 2008, Frazier had been v-p and sales director for national accounts, brand and category management at Random House Children's Books.]
JACI UPDIKE, formerly Senior Vice President, Director, Adult Sales, Random House, is now Senior Vice President, Director, Adult Sales, Penguin Random House LLC, reporting to McIntosh. The Penguin Paperback and Distributor Sales group, the Penguin Hardcover Sales group, and Penguin Online & Digital Sales will continue to be led, respectively, by Norman Lidofsky, President, John Lawton, Senior Vice President, and Tim McCall, Vice President. They will now report to Updike, as does the Random House Adult Sales group.
KATYA SHANNON, currently Penguin’s Vice President, Director, Adult Hardcover Field Sales, Penguin, has been appointed to another newly created position: Vice President, Director, Special Markets, Penguin Random House LLC, reporting to Jaci. The existing Random House and Penguin special markets and gift sales directors and managers will now report to Shannon.
JULIE BLACK, currently Vice President, Director, Sales Strategic Planning, Random House, will now support the entire Penguin Random House Sales group in this capacity.
U.K. Sales Changes
In what was called coincidental timing, PRH UK also announced changes to its sales force leadership. Mike Symons was named head of the new sales team at PRH UK as group sales director (UK and International), with Garry Prior appointed UK sales director, Penguin Random House UK.
Symons has been Penguin Group sales director since 2007, having joined the company 14 years ago. He will report to Ian Hudson deputy CEO, PRH UK. Prior has been Random House Group UK sales director since 2006.
