Georgian Publisher Named President of Expanded International Publishers Association

The International Publishers Association (IPA) confirmed new leadership and expanded its membership today following its annual virtual general assembly. Gvantsa Jobava of Intelekti Publishing in Georgia has been elected as the next president, with Giovanni Hoepli of Hoepli Publishing House in Italy taking on the role of vice president. The elections were conducted online in September, with participation from all IPA full members.

Outgoing president Karine Pansa expressed confidence in her successor. "Gvantsa Jobava is going to be a great president for IPA, and I can't wait to see how she will drive the IPA forward," she said. Reflecting on her own tenure, Pansa added: "Publishing is so important for our societies, for our economies, and for our cultures. What an honor it has been to represent this wonderful industry."

At the assembly, Jobava outlined her vision for the IPA, expressing eagerness to collaborate with IPA members while emphasizing the challenges facing the industry and acknowledging the significant responsibility the publishing business has to society. "As IPA's new president, I will be asking our members: what more can we do to safeguard our courageous colleagues and authors, whose freedom is limited in many parts of the world and whose lives are in danger?" Jobava said. "What more can we do to see that copyright is respected by the technology giants and enforced by our legislators?"

In his own comments, Hoepli emphasized the importance of unity within the organization. "Looking ahead, our future challenges will also require us to work together," he said. "Collaboration is key, and I invite everyone to be ready to continue this journey as a team."

The general assembly also voted in new members. As of January 1, 2025, the IPA will welcome one new full member, three new provisional members, and one new associate member, bringing its total membership to 105 organizations across 84 countries.

The new additions include the Asociación Gremial de Editores de Guatemala as a full member, and three new provisional members: the Association of Publishers and Booksellers of the Croatian Chamber of the Economy, the Asociación de Industrias Editoriales de la Republica Dominicana, and the Polish Chamber of Books. The Asociación de Editoriales Universitarias de América Latina y el Caribe was named an associate member.

The assembly also announced appointments for various IPA committees. The executive committee will welcome Fernando Benzo of Spain, Simon De Jocas of Canada, Christie Henry of the United States, Renaud Lefebvre of France, and Manami Tamaoki of Japan. The IPA expressed gratitude to outgoing executive committee members YS Chi of the U.S., Yumiko Hoshiba of Japan, and Patrici Tixis of Spain for their service.

Elections for the Freedom to Publish committee resulted in the reelection of Zeynep Atiker of Turkey, Sherif Bakr of Egypt, Sarah Crozier of the U.S., Simon De Jocas, and Jaeho Kang of South Korea. The membership committee will see Halldor Birgisson of Iceland and Christie Henry join its ranks. The IPA acknowledged the contributions of Maria Pallante, president of the Association of American Publishers, and Anna Baijars of Finland, who are stepping down from the membership committee after years of service.