Yassy Okamoto to Succeed Paul Sleven as General Counsel at Macmillan

Yassy Okamoto, currently VP and deputy general counsel at Macmillan, will take over as general counsel January 1. She will succeed current SVP and general counsel Paul Sleven, who is set to retire in January.

Okamoto has been with Macmillan for 20 years, and has been involved in numerous Macmillan projects. “Yassy’s promotion to EVP, general counsel is a natural progression of her long standing contribution to our legal team and our business,” said Macmillan CEO Jon Yaged in a statement. “We look forward to her guidance as we continue to navigate the evolving publishing landscape.”

Sleven has been with Macmillan since 1995. Among the high-profile issues he has been involved with were the company’s response to legal claims arising after the publication of Fire and Fury and negotiating the initial agency contracts with Apple and Amazon, which included overseeing the DOJ antitrust litigation that followed. Most recently, Sleven has been aiding in Macmillan's efforts to oppose book bans, looking for opportunities to engage on the legal front.

“Paul has been the cornerstone of Macmillan’s legal department,” Yaged said. “His dedication and expertise have guided us through many transformative moments and his impact on the company is immeasurable. We owe him an enormous debt of gratitude for his service and wish him all the best in his retirement.”