Hachette UK appoints Waterman as new group HR director

Hachette UK has appointed Lisa Waterman as its new group HR director as Melanie Tansey departs for a new role outside the publishing industry. 

Waterman joined the company in 2019 and is currently head of HR and group talent acquisition, overseeing the adult trade divisions, IT departments and newly created talent acquisition team. She was previously HR consultant for Global, Europe’s largest radio broadcasting company. She will take up her new role in June 2022, based at Hachette UK’s headquarters in London’s Carmelite House and becoming a member of the board. 

She said: “I am thrilled to be taking up the position of group HR director, leading a first-class HR team. I look forward to strengthening, embedding and building on the initiatives introduced by Melanie to ensure we support the strategic growth of Hachette UK, strive to represent all consumers and maintain the best culture in the industry.”

Tansey, who departs the company after three and a half years, said it had been an "absolute honour" to work at Hachette . She added: "This is a special place with the most fantastic people. I will miss David, everyone on the board, my brilliant HR team, and our extended leadership team of employee networks chairs terribly. I’m thrilled to be passing the baton to Lisa who is an outstanding leader, and she – along with the most talented HR team in the business – will enable the next phase of Hachette’s evolution.”

David Shelley, c.e.o. of Hachette UK, said: “Melanie has achieved such an incredible amount in the three and a half years she has been at Hachette and played a transformational role in our success and progress. She has worked tirelessly to ensure we improve our representation and more closely mirror the readers we serve. Melanie has built and nurtured an HR team that is truly brilliant, and which now sits at the very heart of our business.

“I’m delighted that Lisa will be stepping into the role of group HR director in June. She has worked alongside Melanie since 2019 and led company-wide projects, such as the integration of Laurence King Publishing and the expansion of our traineeship in partnership with Curtis Brown and Waterstones, with passion and utter commitment to our mission. She also conducted a recruitment and resourcing review, which resulted in the creation of a new talent acquisition team under her leadership. Lisa brings invaluable experience of working in different creative industries and I’m looking forward to working with her on broadening our talent pool as we continue to grow our business and our employer brand.”