Laura Pennock, Nicky Devaney Join HBG Sales Department Amid Revamp

Laura Pennock will join Hachette Book Group as VP of mass merch, wholesale, and library marketing on June 24. She will head up ReaderLink accounts, including Target and Walmart, as well as HBG's jobbers and library marketing team. Pennock comes to HBG from Macmillan Publishers, where she oversaw the mass merch, wholesale, and distribution channels. She will direct to EVP and group sales director Lauren Monaco. 

Nicky Devaney will join HBG as director of field sales on June 17. Most recently, Nicky Devaney was director of field sales at Penguin Random House, working with independents, publishers, and sales reps on the Penguin Books list. Prior to that, she was a bookseller and store manager at the Dublin-based Dubray Books. In her new role, she will report to the new, yet-to-be-named VP of retail sales.

The hiring of Pennock and Devaney comes just weeks after HBG announced it was restructuring its sales department, an effort that eliminated two positions, including two VP roles.

In addition, HBG has announced several changes to its marketing department. Saimah Haque has been promoted to senior director of consumer marketing; Medina Cekovic will move into the newly created position of e-commerce marketing manager; and Laurel Stokes will move into the newly created position of director of metadata strategy and consumer insights. Moreover, Jan Rosenberg will join HBG’s marketing strategy team metadata and merchandising associate.