DK's Mary-Clare Jerram to retire

DK publishing director Mary-Clare Jerram is retiring at the end of April after three decades with the company.

Jerram, now 60, joined DK in 1989 as a project editor and went on to become publishing director of Life, leading DK’s lifestyle publishing programme for 16 years. Central to both the local and global list in the Life division, she had responsibility for growing DK’s gardening list and creating food, gardening and fitness bestsellers, working with authors such as Mary Berry and Monty Don, as well as with the Royal Horticultural Society. Among her recent acquisitions were Huw Richards' bestselling gardening book Veg in One Bed and YouTube star Lucy Wyndham-Read's 7-Minute Body Plan.

Rebecca Smart, managing director, Publishing, said: "Mary-Clare has decided that now is the time to step back and enjoy all the wonderful hobbies that she so passionately publishes. I would like to thank her for her outstanding contribution and the lasting impact she has made to DK’s lifestyle publishing during her tenure; Mary-Clare’s talent and creativity will be sorely missed by us all."

Jerram added: "I have hugely enjoyed 30 years of creativity and innovation at DK, publishing lifestyle titles for the global market and working with dedicated, talented and fun colleagues and authors from around the world. It’s hard to imagine everyday life outside the DK family."

DK will be starting a recruitment process for Jerram's successor.