Houghton Mifflin has created an international division and appointed Patrick Hidalgo v-p and managing director of the new unit. Hidalgo, who will report to HM chairman Nader Darehshori, most recently served as group president for Simon &Schuster's Latin America/Iberia division. He will be based in New York.
Although all of HM's divisions have their own international operations, Hildago's mandate is to establish a corporate-wide international strategy for HM. "We want to concentrate our efforts overseas," a HM spokesperson said. The company had been one of the few major U.S. publishers without an international division, and export sales accounted for less than 3% of HM's total revenues. HM d s not expect an immediate impact from the creation of the international division, but views the new unit as a way to build its presence in the worldwide marketplace.
