Centrello, president and publisher of Random House, retires after 23 years

Gina Centrello, president and publisher of Random House in the US, is retiring after 23 years leading Random House and more than 40 years in the book business.

According to a memo sent to Penguin Random House US staff by Madeline McIntosh, c.e.o. of PRH US, Centrello will take on the new role of strategic advisor to the US board, and will continue her work supporting the organisation’s literary partners.

McIntosh continued that as Centrello had built a team of leaders “spectacularly adept at running their businesses while also collaborating with one another”, time could now be spent in consultation with the executive team developing a succession plan. In the meantime, she says, “we will lean on Bill Takes, e.v.p., business strategy, to ensure everything continues to run smoothly and successfully on a day-to-day basis".

She said there would “naturally be much curiosity about the future”, but said “today [12th January 2023] is about recognising and celebrating Gina’s remarkable contributions and the mark she has made on the company and in the world of books".

Centrello began her career in the early 1980s as a proofreader and in 1994, a decade after joining Pocket Books as a copyeditor, was named the division’s leader. She joined Random House company in 1999 as president and publisher of Ballantine and then, in 2003, assumed leadership of the newly formed Random House Publishing Group, where she has remained since. Her group imprints have been responsible for publishing authors including George R R Martin, Salman Rushdie, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Elizabeth Strout, the Obamas and, most recently, Prince Harry, who broke a company record with his first-day sales on 10th January.

McIntosh continued: “Gina’s career has been defined by her insatiable curiosity, nurturing mindset, ability to attract and retain talent, keen negotiation skills and a commitment to developing innovative programmes and solutions to match a rapidly evolving marketplace. She is a two-time winner of the Bertelsmann Award for Outstanding Entrepreneurial Achievement, a reflection of the leadership those who have worked with her have experienced all these years.

“Gina and her publishers have achieved excellence across an extraordinary breadth of categories in fiction, narrative non-fiction and lifestyle. Year in and year out, Random House is home not only to innumerable bestsellers, but also to winners of the highest literary accolades and books that shape the cultural conversation.

“Of all her many accomplishments, the enduring hallmark of Gina’s tenure will be the impact she has had on us as people. I know I’m only one of many indebted to her for her mentorship; I’m grateful for every minute of the support she has provided me, her peers, her employees and our authors.”

In a separate memo Centrello, addressing her colleagues, said: “I have chosen to step down from my position as president and publisher of Random House and assume an advisory role for the company. This was not a decision I came to lightly. Over the past few years, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my future, and when the right moment might be for me to transition to a new way of leading. I’ve come to believe that that moment is now.

“This decision is, of course, bittersweet. I have truly loved leading Random House, and publishing books that matter and inspire change, books that entertain and thrill, and books that help us to be better people. I have relished watching your growth, as well, and I am excited that a new generation of brilliant publishing leaders and managers—the best in the business, as far as I’m concerned—will continue to thrive and soar in the years to come.

“I can’t wait to see what’s next. My successor will be the luckiest person in the industry—working with you to carry Random House forward into a bright and promising future. With you here, doing your thing, how could it be any other way? And as you know, I’ll be watching from the sidelines, rooting as hard as I can for each and every one of you, as your biggest admirer and most adoring fan.”