In the latest evolution of Macmillan’s education business, the company is combining its Higher Education and New Ventures units to create a new division known as Macmillan Learning. Macmillan said the changes will take effect January 1, 2016.
Both units are part of Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, and the creation of Macmillan Learning follows the move earlier this year when Holtzbrinck merged its other higher education assets with Springer Science+Business Media. Ken Michaels, who became CEO of Macmillan Higher Education and Macmillan New Ventures after the merger with Springer, will now oversee Macmillan Learning.
“This is such an exciting time in the education space,” said Michaels. “The need for customizable and personalized learning solutions has never been greater. By uniting the formidable legacy of our content and technologies with pioneering digital tools, we will deliver unparalleled options to our customers.“
Macmillan Higher Education includes the Bedford/St. Martin’s, W.H. Freeman, and Worth Publishers imprints. Macmillan New Ventures houses several start-up companies including Hayden-McNeil, Sapling Learning, Late Nite Labs, PrepU, and Dynamic Books. Macmillan said that despite combining the new ventures group with its more traditional college operations, Macmillan Learning will still nurture “start-up tech companies that quickly and efficiently solve pain points in the classroom.”
Joining Michael’s senior leadership team will be chief administrative officer Allison Rutledge-Parisi; chief operational officer Ken Brooks; managing director Susan Winslow; general manager James Caras; senior v-p, sales Craig Bleyer; senior v-p, finance Simon Horrer; v-p, technology Pratyush Rai; and v-p, strategy Elizabeth Widdicombe. Michaels will continue to report to Macmillan CEO John Sargent.
