Esson appointed group production director at Bloomsbury

Stephen Esson has joined Bloomsbury as group production director, reporting to chief executive Nigel Newton, and will be starting this week in the new role.

Esson was the group publishing operations director at Penguin Random House (PRH) and a member of the leadership team. Having retired from PRH after 37 years at the end of March this year, he has been working at Bloomsbury as a production consultant.

Newton said: “I have been aware of Stephen Esson for many years as a leader among publishing production directors but I thank Ian Hudson for introducing us. I liked Stephen immediately for his laser focused overview of production issues, his relationships with printers all over the world, his sense of humour and his clear love of reading books as well as printing them.

"We are lucky to have had him arrive in our lives at time when we need him and his experience and drive. Welcome Stephen!"

As group production director, Esson will have responsibility for production across all Bloomsbury markets, optimising all systems and processes to achieve agile delivery. He will work to ensure the company is responsive to changing market conditions, through a lens of Bloomsbury’s sustainability programme. All five heads of production will report directly to him.

Esson commented: “When I made the difficult decision to retire I always wanted to retain involvement with publishing and printing – a world I love. I never envisaged, however, a chance to support Bloomsbury as a production consultant and am hugely grateful both for Bloomsbury’s interest as well as Penguin Random House’s agreement for me to do so.

"The last six months have been extraordinary; I have relished the opportunity to assist and have been moved by the warmth of the welcome I have received. To accept Nigel’s offer to join Bloomsbury at such an exciting time in the company’s development will seem surprising and strange to many, but for me it was very simple and easy – an unexpected chance to make a difference in a remarkable company successfully straddling both consumer and academic publishing, and to lead an experienced and committed team addressing a variety of exciting production opportunities.”