Bétourné to step down at Le Seuil

Olivier Bétourné, chairman and c.e.o. of French publisher Le Seuil, is handing over the post next April to Hugues Jallon, who is now the head of the Editis house La Découverte and was editorial director of humanities and non-fiction at Le Seuil between 2011 and 2013.

Bétourné will have worked two stints at Le Seuil, first between 1977 and 1993, spending the last 10 years as editorial advisor to the chief, and then in the top job since 2009. His departure comes as Media Participations is in the process of taking over Le Seuil's parent company La Martinière in an exchange of shares that was announced in September. The new company will become the third largest publisher in France after Hachette Livre and Editis.

Aged 66, Bétourné is clearly not thinking of retiring yet, promising in La Martinière's press release that he will "shortly announce my new editorial projects".