Jegadeesan appointed chief publishing officer at Springer Nature, as Inchcoombe shifts role

Harsh Jegadeesan is stepping into the post of chief publishing officer at academic publishing house Springer Nature, with Steven Inchcoombe moving to a new role.

Previously chief solutions officer, Jegadeesan is now responsible for the continued growth of Springer Nature’s research publishing businesses. Springer said the change has been made “in recognition of the increasing role technology is playing in delivering a truly customer-centric publishing experience”.

Meanwhile Inchcoombe, former chief publishing officer, steps into the role of president, research. In the newly created role, he will be responsible for building relationships with key global institutional, funder, and governmental stakeholders and growing Springer Nature’s research business in high-growth research countries.

Commenting on his new role, Jegadeesan, said: “Having been a researcher and author myself, I am extremely excited and honoured by this new opportunity. With the publishing team at Springer Nature being second to none and my background in, and passion for the potential of, new technology I am looking forward to achieving great things for our research ecosystem.”

Inchcoombe added: “The world is transitioning to Open Access (OA) at different speeds and therefore understanding these differences in order to be able to help and support our partners as they transition to OA is increasingly important. I am delighted to be taking on such a key role and look forward to working closely with colleagues, customers and partners around the globe on their OA journey.”

Frank Vrancken Peeters, c.e.o. of Springer Nature, said: “Having a strong and senior advocate role at Springer Nature has been on my wish list for a long time. With his passion for publishing, his deep understanding of the company and extensive skills and experience as a global advocate for Springer Nature with our partners and communities, I could not think of a better person than Steven to fill this role.

“I am equally delighted to see Harsh move into the role of chief publishing officer given the passion for publishing he has demonstrated over the past year. His experience in leading global and diverse teams to build digital products, platforms and businesses, combined with his deep experience in applying customer-centric thinking and technology, will help us scale our operations and deliver on accelerating solutions to the world’s urgent challenges.”