Ebury Publishing’s Joy Chambers dies

Joy Chambers, one of Ebury's longest-serving members of staff, has died following a "long, brave" battle with cancer.

Ebury said Chambers, who had been PA to managing director Rebecca Smart, was "much loved" and it was "with deep sadness" that it shared the news of her death.

Smart said: "Joy was a great support not only to me, but to everyone at Ebury and many people across the wider Penguin Random House company. She was always smiling, and always wise. We will all miss her terribly."

Chambers began working at Ebury in 1989, when it was a division of The National Magazine Company, as assistant to Amelia Thorpe on the Merehurst imprint, which specialised in books on cake decoration. On being acquired by Century Hutchinson in 1989, about half a dozen Ebury staff, including Chambers, were moved across to the Century offices in Covent Garden, working with their new boss Gail Rebuck. When Century Hutchinson was acquired by Random House, with Rebuck becoming chief executive and Thorpe becoming m.d. of Ebury, Chambers came too as Thorpe's "trusted PA". She subsequently for many years assisted Ebury m.d.s Fiona Macintyre and latterly Smart.