Usborne promotes Herisson and Howorth

Usborne has promoted two longstanding staff members into two newly created roles “in response to the company’s growth.” Christian Herisson has become UK commercial and sales director and Anna Howorth been appointed global branding and UK marketing director.

Herisson was formerly UK sales and marketing director. He will continue to manage all UK sales across the children’s publisher’s list, with the exception of those through Usborne Books at Home, the company’s direct sales division. Under Herisson’s new role he will consider new ways to sell the publisher's books and other content in the UK including new markets, buyers, and channels. He will develop the company’s licensing business, working on research and development for new product and product categories for the UK, and developing the company’s capabilities around data-driven sales analysis and strategy. He has been with Usborne for 17 years, and selling Usborne books for 13 years before that.

Former marketing and publicity manager Anna Howorth has become director of global branding and UK marketing and will oversee marketing and PR for the entire Usborne list after working for the company for 13 years. She will also supervise the company’s global branding and be a central contact for Usborne’s global marketing efforts, both in English language and across the publisher’s nine foreign language imprints. She will ensure communication and collaboration between marketing staff throughout Usborne in order to unify the Usborne voice and brand identity across all territories and channels. She will also take marketing responsibility for all non-territory specific channels, be a central point person for global customer service and manage internal communications.

Both Herisson and Howorth report directly to Nicola Usborne, deputy m.d. The publisher said the promotions were response to the company’s growth and its increased global reach and market demands.

Usborne said: “Christian and Anna have been long-standing and highly effective members of the Usborne team. I am excited to work alongside them in their new roles, which we’ve designed to better reflect our global expansion and changes in buying and marketing behaviours”.

The publisher launched an imprint in China with local publisher Jieli Publishing House last month. It also publishes under its own imprints in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, Brazilian Portuguese and Catalan as well as South Korea.