Egmont UK announced today, 11th July 2002, that Susannah McFarlane is to step down as Managing Director of Egmont Books in September, as she will be returning to Australia with her family. Susannah became Managing Director of Egmont Books in July 2000 and has been with the UK company for six years.
The search for a successor is now under way. If this is not completed before Susannah’s departure, Egmont UK chief executive Julie Goldsmith will combine the two roles in the interim.
Julie Goldsmith paid tribute to the part that Susannah had played in the development of Egmont Books. “Susannah and I have worked closely together for the past two years and she is a superbly creative and commercial publisher as well as an inspiring leader. She has established a stimulating environment at Egmont, encouraged her team to develop their potential and her strategic planning skills have positioned the company for further growth. We would all have liked her to continue to play a part in our future, and she will be much missed.”
Susannah McFarlane said: “This was an incredibly hard and in many ways sad decision for me to make. I have had a fantastic job in a great company and have loved working with people across the industry with such a wide range of wonderful children’s books. There is no good time to leave such a job, yet Australia is home and the best place to raise our children - and now is a good time for them to make that move. It has been a privilege to work with such a talented group of people at Egmont Books. They have given me immense support and I will miss them all hugely, but I am sure they will continue to enjoy the success that their hard work and talent deserve.”
Susannah McFarlane came from Reed Books Australia to what was then Reed Children’s Books as Licensing Director in 1996 – prior to its acquisition by Egmont in 1998. She was appointed Publishing Director of Egmont Children’s Books in January 2000 and Managing Director in June 2000. She oversaw the integration of Egmont World to form Egmont Books and has steered the merged company to significant improvements in both sales and profits.
ref:susannah@.egmont.uk
For further information and photographs, or to arrange interviews with Julie Goldsmith and Susannah McFarlane, contact Andrea Marks at AMPR, telephone 020-8 958 4398
Egmont Books Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of children’s media entertainment group Egmont UK, which also includes Egmont Magazines and joint venture companies like Chicken House.
Egmont UK is part of leading international entertainment media group Egmont, which provides quality entertainment for children and adults.
Egmont is owned by the Egmont Foundation, whose profits are dedicated to supporting charities working for children in the fields of education, social welfare and health.
Susannah McFarlane (36) was born in Melbourne, Australia. Before coming to England in 1996, she was Marketing Director of the Children’s Division of Reed Australia, where her experience included editorial, educational and marketing for both children’s and adult titles. She currently lives in London with her Swedish husband and their two children, aged five and two.
