Colin Hughes to leave HarperCollins for AQA

Colin Hughes, managing director of Collins Learning, is leaving HarperCollins UK after eight years at the helm to join exam board AQA Education as chief executive officer.

Hughes continues in his role until 30th April, when Sheena Barclay, Collins Learning deputy m.d. and Justin Chantrey, commercial director, will take over responsibility for the Collins Learning division while a permanent replacement is sought.

Hughes joined HarperCollins in April 2012 as managing director of the Collins Education division and later that year was promoted to m.d. Collins Learning, bringing together the Education, Language & Geo divisions. In 2013 he launched Collins India and was chair of the Education Publishers Council in the UK from 2014 to 2018.

Previously Hughes worked at the Press Association, the Times, the Independent and Independent on Sunday, and the Guardian. He was chair of the board of the governors of Middlesex University from 2010 to 2017 and is now a pro-chancellor of the university. He became chair of Staffordshire University last August.

HarperCollins UK c.e.o. Charlie Redmayne said: “I am sorry to see Colin leave the business. Under his leadership Collins Learning has seen considerable growth in the schools, export and international markets. I thank him for his significant contribution to HarperCollins and wish him well for the future.”

Hughes said: “I am sad to be leaving such a great bunch of people at Collins Learning, and across HarperCollins UK. It‚Äôs been a fantastic eight years, during which we have successfully merged the old Education, Geo and Language teams, grown export steeply, achieved huge gains in schools, revamped our dictionaries, relaunched collinsdictionary.com and collins.co.uk and set up Collins India. It feels like the right time to go; Collins is in fantastic shape and the foundations are firmly laid for a prosperous future, and I feel proud and glad to have been part of that.”