Faye Brewster to depart Vintage amid team changes

Faye Brewster will step down from her role as deputy managing director of Vintage in July while Ed Grande has been promoted to the new role of finance and commercial director, Vintage. He takes on responsibility for two new departments within the organisation. 

Meanwhile Bethan Jones, director of publicity, and Chloe Healy, marketing director, move their reporting line from Faye Brewster to Hannah Telfer, managing director.

During her career with Vintage, Brewster has played a “major part” in the acquisition and publishing of bestsellers including The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Time Traveler’s Wife, The Night Circus, The Girls, The Testaments and, most recently, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. 

Vintage described Brewster as a “generous and effective mentor” to many across the industry, adding that she has helped to raise money for charities including Kids Company and the National Literacy Trust as part of Penguin Random House’s charity and community committee. In addition to this, Brewster recently orchestrated the launch of a Lit in Colour Vintage partnership with the Arden Academy in Solihull.

“It will be a wrench leaving my many brilliant colleagues at Vintage, and the world-class authors and books we publish, but I’m excited by a long-held desire to work in a social-impact role,” said Brewster. “I owe abundant thanks to the many talented people in every corner of the book ecosystem whom I’ve been lucky enough to work with, or get to know, who have made these last decades such a rich source of learning, connection and joy.”

Telfer added: “In the 23 years Faye has been at Random House, and then Penguin Random House, she has made a substantial contribution to every part of the business she’s been in, or partnered with. I admire Faye’s rare combination of positivity, curiosity, and expertise and how she uses this to navigate every single question, problem, project and opportunity in front of her. Faye has worked in service of our authors and her colleagues every single day and she has done so with inimitable warmth. Her impact and influence will live on in Vintage books for many years, and in those of us who’ve had the sheer good fortune of working with her.”

Following Brewster’s departure in July, Grande is promoted from finance director to finance and commercial director. The expanded role will see him take on responsibility for two new departments – Classics & Catalogue and Managing Editorial – along with a “broader remit for the division’s growth strategy” alongside his current financial responsibilities. 

“Ed already makes a critical contribution to Vintage at a strategic, financial and commercial level, but also through his engagement with our publishing and his passion for the potential of our books,” said Telfar. “This promotion is very much deserved and I am delighted we will benefit from the impact of his expertise more broadly.”

Grande added: “From Gabrielle Zevin to Rory Stewart and Tim Spector, Vintage has had an incredible run of recent bestseller success – it is energising seeing the division go from strength to strength. I am excited to work even more closely with our world-class group of imprints, our dynamic Classics & Catalogue team and our exceptional Managing Editorial team as we look to build on this success.”