Desanghere joins Avon

Avon has appointed Penguin Random House digital marketing officer Elke Desanghere as its new digital marketing manager.

In her new role at the HarperCollins imprint, Desanghere’s responsibilities will include launching the new Avon website, as well as managing social media channels and expanding and driving digital campaigns. She has replaced Elon Woodman Worrell,, who has moved to the Times.

Desanghere joined PRH in June last year and focused on the Penguin General division, which includes Viking, Hamish Hamilton, Fig Tree, Penguin and Penguin Life. She “played a pivotal role in launching two successful debuts" My Sister’s Bones by Nuala Ellwood and Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, and led the digital campaign on Arundhati Roy’s long-awaited second novel The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. She was recently highly commended for her marketing campaign for The House by Simon Lelic by the Book Marketing Society.

Oliver Malcolm, HarperCollins publishing strategy director of fiction, non-fiction and Avon, said the appointment was part of the company's emphasis on “reaching more readers digitally”. He said: “The e-book landscape continues to shift – and it is important to find a competitive advantage wherever possible.  What remains critical for our authors is our ability to reach more readers digitally, and so we will continue to prioritise the recruitment of experts in this area.”

Avon celebrated its 10th anniversary earlier this year.