Casimir to replace Leitch as chair of Compass

Compass Independent Publishing Services has appointed Martin Casimir as chairman, taking over from Alan Leitch who is stepping down from the role at the end of April.

Casimir has previously worked for companies including Longman, Lexis Nexis, CCH and Bloomsbury. More recently, he was managing director of Maths – No Problem! and since leaving that position in 2020 he has established a small portfolio of non-executive and consultancy work. He is a past chair and current board member of the IPG.

Casimir will officially take up his new role from May but has already started working with Leitch and the other Compass directors to ensure a smooth transition.

He commented: “I have long admired Compass and its entrepreneurial approach to sales and strong relationships with both its publishing clients and the trade. I’m excited by the opportunity and looking forward to working with the team.”

Leitch originally launched the Compass Academic business in 2003 and has chaired Compass IPS since the combined group enterprise was established in 2013. He will stay on as a non-executive director of the company and also retain a stake in the business.

Leitch said: “This is not a sudden decision and not one I have taken lightly. I turn 65 in June and it has long been my intention to step back when I reach that milestone, so I informed my board colleagues of these plans some time ago.

“I’ve had a highly enjoyable career in the book trade stretching back to 1980, but there are lots of other things I want to do while there’s still time – in particular, adventure travel and live music are both huge passions and I’ve already lost too much time on those because of the pandemic.”