Fry appointed Folio Prize director of development

The Folio Prize Foundation has appointed former Fourth Estate associate publisher Minna Fry as its director of development.

Suzy Lucas, executive director of the prize, will step down from her position but will join the Folio Prize Foundation board.

Fry has worked in senior publishing roles for the last 25 years, most recently as associate publisher at Fourth Estate and William Collins before she was made redundant from HarperCollins last December. She has overseen the campaigns of six Man Booker Prize winners, including Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall (Fourth Estate) and Bring up the Bodies (Fourth Estate), and she has played "key" roles in the publications of Trainspotting (Vintage), Bridget Jones’s Diary (Picador) and the last five Harry Potter titles (Bloomsbury). She has also held advisory roles for numerous reading initiatives, including Quick Reads and World Book Night.

Andrew Kidd, co-founder of the Folio Prize, said: "Suzy Lucas has been at the heart of the Folio Prize since its launch, playing a key role in nearly every aspect of its operation and evolution. Her recent, outstanding work on the Folio Academy Sessions has taken the prize in an exciting new direction, and we are delighted that Suzy has agreed to join the board, where she will continue to make a unique and invaluable contribution.

"We are equally delighted to welcome Minna Fry. Minna is a true publishing innovator, with legendary energy and drive, and I can think of no one better suited to take the Folio Prize on to its next phase, as we renew our search for a headline sponsor and develop an expanded remit for the prize, to be announced later this year."

Lucas said: "The Folio Prize Foundation is a vital force for good in the world of books. In overseeing its first three years of development I have relished the opportunity to work with writers and colleagues who share such a passionate belief in the importance of working together to find new ways to champion great writing. Minna is a fine example of this, and it’s exciting to think about the contribution she is going to be making in these next stages."

Fry said: "‘We have exciting new plans, which we are looking forward to sharing soon. My incentive and goal, as ever, will be to bring the greatest writing, and the very best books, to the biggest possible market, and to provoke conversation (and of course sales) amongst all who believe in the power of the written word to soothe, entertain, and enhance their lives."