Carrie Bloxson has been promoted to senior v-p of culture and diversity, equity, and inclusion at Hachette Book Group and Hachette UK, effective immediately. She had previously served as v-p and chief diversity officer at Hachette Book Group.

Bloxson will report directly to David Shelley, CEO of HBG and HUK. The move follows the reorganization, last year, of the two subsidiaries of Hachette Livre into "a new English-language management structure," as well as the release, last week, of Hachette's annual diversity, equity, and inclusion update—one of only two such reports released annually by the Big Five publishers.

"Being appointed as the senior v-p of culture and diversity, equity, and inclusion is both an honor and a profound responsibility," Bloxson said. "This role is a testament to HBG and Hachette UK's dedication to making DEI a central pillar of our corporate ethos. Since joining HBG, I have been continually inspired by the commitment of our teams to embrace and champion DEI values, and I am excited to further this journey across our UK and US organization."

In the newly created role, Bloxson, who joined HBG in February 2021, will "drive Hachette’s Changing the Story initiative across the U.K. and the U.S." in order to "further strengthen the company’s mission to make it easy for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment, and opportunity," the publisher said. (As part of the initiative's mission, Hachette aims "to attract and retain talent that is fully reflective of the world we live in, and become the employer and publisher for everyone.") She will collaborate with Kim Kidd, HUK’s diversity and inclusion manager, as well as senior leadership and the communications and HR teams in both the U.S. and U.K. to "nurture cultural initiatives and infuse DEI principles into all facets of the businesses," the publisher added.

Shelley, in a statement, called Bloxson's leadership in the DEI space "unparalleled," adding: "Her strategic vision and empathy have made an enormous impact at Hachette Book Group. Over the past three years she has spearheaded remarkable progress, fostering an environment of trust and engagement across our company. Her expanded role reflects our commitment to leveraging expertise and best practices between the U.S. and UK and advancing our Changing the Story pillar, the aim of which is for our publishing and our organization to mirror the diversity of the readers we serve. At a time when DEI efforts are receding in many industries, Carrie’s elevation underscores our unwavering dedication to this work."