Pan Macmillan makes changes to its comms and digital teams

Pan Macmillan has announced a range of promotions across its communications teams and has developed new digital roles, among which is the appointment of the publisher’s first metadata manager.

In the Fiction Comms team, Lucie Cuthbertson-Twiggs, previously senior communications executive, has been promoted to communications manager. Cuthbertson-Twiggs was credited by Pan Macmillan for delivering "formidable" long-tail fiction campaigns and for having developed her skills in author care and talent management, notably her work with Kate Tempest and Hollie McNish, raising the profile of the Picador brand.

In the Non-Fiction Comms team, publicity manager Sarah Patel has been promoted to senior publicity manager after two years delivering campaigns including Scarlett Moffatt’s autobiography and her work building non-fiction brands like Chris Hadfield and Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen.

Meanwhile in the Children's Comms team, marketing manager Kat McKenna has been promoted to senior marketing manager 6+. McKenna was praised by Pan Macmillan for her "creative, sales-driving" campaigns, including for the Costa award-winning The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge, and for her "enormous" contribution to work developing the David Baldacci brand and expanding teen and YA outreach through the MKB brand, both on- and offline.

Also in Children's, marketing executive Jessica Rigby has been promoted to junior marketing manager 6+. Rigby will now have responsibility for the marketing of "key" licensing properties of Macmillan Children’s Books’ such as Moomins, as well as heritage publishing, which it said was "an ever-growing focus" in Macmillan Children's Books. She recently developed the marketing approach to the new Macmillan Children's Books audio list, working closely with the publishing team.

In the Digital Comms team, Tom Noble, social media and online manager, has been promoted to senior digital marketing manager. Noble was said to have frequently demonstrated the power of paid social campaigns, promoting Pan Macmillan’s books and authors in ways which supplement and enhance the tactical campaigns delivered by his Comms colleagues, reacting "swiftly" to PR spikes and other events with "highly targeted, sales-driving activity". He also has worked with high-profile authors to develop their social media strategy.

Elle Jones has been promoted to the new role of metadata manager, having made what Pan Macmillan described as "an outstanding impact on the business through the conceptualisation and implementation of Pan Mac’s metadata programme". Because of this work, the publisher now ensures all of its frontlist has "best in class" metadata, it said, while metadata improvements on the backlist has also resulted in a directly driven sales uplift. 

Mumbi Thuo has been promoted to digital communications executive. Thuo coordinated Pan Macmillan's email marketing across the department, now reaching over 200,000 readers per month through its various email lists for brands, imprints and authors. She creates SEO-friendly content that helps its books and authors rise higher in Google search results and helps manage the running of prize administration.

Sara Lloyd, digital and communications director at Pan Macmillan, said: "I'm delighted to announce this set of well-deserved promotions recognising several members of the team who have delivered above and beyond in terms of sales, profile, insight and author care."