Blackwell Learning 'steps up' activity with two new hires

Blackwell’s has made hires from Oxford University Press and Taylor & Francis in a bid to “step up” activity on its e-textbook platform Blackwell Learning.

The bookseller has hired Matthew Emery as its head of learning from his previous role as UK and Middle East higher education sales manager at Oxford University Press and Katharine Templeton who has joined the company from academic publisher Taylor & Francis.

Emery will have strategic responsibility for driving further adoption of the Blackwell Learning platform across UK universities and will report directly to Blackwell’s c.e.o David Prescott.

Templeton will be Blackwell Learning’s new marketing and publisher liaison manager and will work primarily on outreach to universities and publishers.

Blackwell’s launched its academic e-book platform in September 2014 under its then digital director Matthew Cashmore, who left the company in January 2015 to become a priest.

Prescott said: “Blackwell Learning has been extremely well received by both students and lecturers on campuses around the UK but now we feel it is time to step it up. The appointments of Matthew and Katharine reflects our determination to make Blackwell Learning the definitive e-book platform for university students and lecturers throughout the UK.”

Figures from the Publishers Association revealed that academic/professional digital revenues were up by 9% across the trade for the first six months of 2016.

Last week The Bookseller reported that rival digital textbook platform Kortext had inked deals with four more universities - University of Leeds, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Worcester and the University of Strathclyde - bringing its partnerships with universities to 42.

Last month, Blackwell’s hired Dean Drew, former head of marketing and digital for CPM International, to the newly-created role of sales and marketing director following a restructure of its senior management team