Brown made m.d. at Hardie Grant Children's as Lewis steps into new role

Kate Brown has been appointed m.d. at Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, as Troy Lewis moves to become the publisher’s first people and culture director.

Brown has worked for the Australian publishing house for over 14 years, and is currently the commercial director. She will step into the role in April, as Lewis relinquishes the role for his newly created post. 

The role of people and culture director was created after the board decided it would be "critical" to the future success of the company "at a time when there is an ever increasing emphasis on the nature of work and the relationship between companies and their staff". Lewis will be based in Melbourne and have global responsibility in the role, assisting in the next phase of growth for the group.

“Recent external challenges have accelerated changes to all aspects of the working environment," he said. "While I will miss working directly in the publishing business, I am excited to step into a role that will influence how the entire group operates, especially how Hardie Grant’s distinct culture adapts and changes as the company continues to grow.”

Sandy Grant, c.e.o. of the business, said: “We have identified a number of issues where we need leadership to take our business and culture to a new level and moving beyond gestures, we commit board-level attention to our policies and practices. It is our responsibility to be a good citizen, contributing to sustainability, diversity and social equity requires action, and Troy will lead the group on this to make sure our strategies are articulated, co-ordinated and acted on.”