Hachette's Murray Hill joins BookTrust's board of trustees

Hilary Murray Hill, c.e.o. of Hachette Children’s Group, has joined BookTrust’s board of trustees. She joins the children’s reading charity for a three-year term.  

John Coughlan, chair of the board of trustees, said he was “delighted” to welcome Murray Hill “with her wealth of experience in the children’s publishing industry”.

He said: “Our expert support for disadvantaged children and families comes from our ability to convene strong relationships with a wide network of partners from across local authorities, early years services, schools, libraries, publishers, authors and illustrators.  

“It is only by bringing together this knowledge and insight that we can enrich the support we’re able to offer children and families so they can enjoy the life-changing benefits of reading. Hilary’s appointment means we can continue to ensure expertise from the books sector and publishing industry is at the heart of our leadership, and guides us as we look to deliver our bold ambitions for children and families.” 

Murray Hill added: “I have always been passionate about the welfare and rights of children and, through my career in book publishing, have a reasonable understanding of the myriad factors affecting children’s literacy, as well as their love of reading.  

“Our work at Hachette Children’s Group is highly focused on improving diversity and inclusion and providing appealing publishing and improved access for every child, indeed this is a central goal for the whole industry. I’ve worked with both larger corporate and smaller independent publishers and hope I can bring a broad perspective on the publishing industry to the table as we take on the challenges of encouraging disadvantaged children and families to pick up perhaps their first, or their next, book.”