Harris appointed as new Unbound chief executive

Technology entrepreneur Wil Harris has been appointed c.e.o. of Unbound, as the crowdfunding publisher looks to develop and expand its digital led strategy.

His appointment follows founder and former c.e.o. Dan Kieran’s decision earlier this year to step down from the role.

Harris oversaw the revamp of the UK’s digital publishing division at Condé Nast, and founded ChannelFlip, a digital video service, and Entale, a podcast production and technology firm.  

“Unbound is a unique and incredibly exciting business, and I am delighted to have the chance to play a part in its further development," he said. "Having previously worked to bring (and sometimes invent) digital best practice to the worlds of television, magazines, and radio, the chance to do the same to the publishing world was impossible to turn down."

He went on: “Unbound’s unique model enables us to facilitate a more diverse range of talent to put art into the world, and I firmly believe this is something that the publishing industry is calling out for.  The proprietary crowdfunding platform generates an incredible amount of valuable data, and I am excited to harness this unique resource to both empower and respect the creativity of our fantastic authors.

Christoph Sander, chairman of Unbound added: "Wil joins us with a highly successful background in growing, developing and exiting start-up businesses in the digital media and publishing space. His companies have been backed by some of the top media investors operating in the UK, including GMG Ventures, News Corp, Founders Factory, Ascension Ventures and DMG Ventures, and his experience brings huge credibility to our business in this world.

"This digital experience and entrepreneurial business background is highly complementary to the publishing expertise of John Mitchinson and Kate Boulton as publisher and m.d. and we are excited to now have such an exceptionally strong and talented senior management team to lead Unbound into its next stage of its development.”

Mitchinson added: “Despite the pandemic, Unbound has had its strongest two-year period since we started the business in 2010. Given this, we are excited to take the opportunity to capitalise on our success by pushing our core business further, while also considering the digital-first initiatives we are in a uniquely qualified position to develop. Wil’s appointment will help us continue to distinguish ourselves from other independent publishers in the market - he will complement and strengthen our team and our strategy, and will make Unbound even more attractive to authors and creators.”