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Hachette Ireland managing director Breda Purdue to retire
Hachette Ireland managing director Breda Purdue is set to retire after nearly 30 years at the publisher and a total of 46 years in the industry.
Purdue will be retiring at the end of this year, and Hachette Ireland explained this early decision has been prompted by ongoing health issues.
Jim Binchy will be taking on Purdue’s roles and responsibilities by expanding his position as overall Hachette Ireland managing director, which will include both the Irish Publishing division Hachette Books Ireland, as well as leading the PR business.
Ciara Doorley is promoted to deputy MD at Hachette Ireland and will be will also be taking on the UK side of the business. Doorley will retain responsibility for Hachette Books Ireland, will report directly to Binchy and will become a member of the Hachette Ireland Board.
Purdue said: "I’ve been working in this wonderful business for 46 years – starting in Eason Wholesale in 1977 – and with Hachette for nearly 30 of those years, so it is probably time to slow down. I feel very lucky to have worked with so many of the group’s talented and committed editorial, publicity and sales teams over the years, and, of course, our brilliant authors.
"We have a fantastic team at Hachette Ireland, and it has been a privilege to work with them all. I’m delighted that Ciara Doorley will move up to become deputy managing director. I wish Ciara and Jim the very best. I’ve told them I will always be available for advice, chats, reading manuscripts and proofs and will be cheering on what I know will be great successes for Hachette Ireland and the wider Hachette Group going forward."
Binchy said: "It is a very sad time for me to see Breda go, even though I realise she won’t be that far away. I’ve known Breda for virtually all the time she has been in the book business, long before she joined the Hachette Group. We have been friends for all that time, and the one light in all of this is that we will remain close friends beyond this.
"There are very few, if any, who can replicate what Breda has contributed to the book trade since she started 46 years ago. Breda has an unsurpassed knowledge of the trade from all angles and her knowledge, guidance and plain common sense will be sorely missed, not just by me, but by everyone who knows her throughout the UK and Ireland. She has worked with many high-profile authors from across the world. She has nurtured local talent and brought some significant new authors into our trade, some of which have gone on to become worldwide bestsellers. The advice and guidance she has passed on to our UK colleagues is immeasurable and I know this will be missed by everyone who knows her in Hachette UK. I realise it is a cliché but we will not see her like again, and the Irish – and UK – book world will be poorer without Breda’s involvement."
Doorley added: "Breda Purdue has been an incredibly important influence on Irish publishing and I have been privileged to have worked with her for most of my own publishing life. She is going to be hugely missed by everyone in the industry, especially the team at Hachette Ireland and by our colleagues in the UK – not to mention the legions of bestselling authors she has published and cared for through the years.
"Having worked with authors such as Patricia Scanlan, Sheila O’Flanagan and Maeve Binchy at the very start of their careers and at Hachette Books Ireland with authors such as Vicky Phelan, Michael Harding and Marie Cassidy, Breda’s contribution to the publishing landscape here is unparalleled. We will miss her deeply on a professional and personal level. I’m energised and excited by this new role and especially looking forward to the amazing authors and books coming from Hachette Books Ireland and the Hachette Group in 2025 and beyond."
