Karp announces Simon & Schuster's new board of directors, including former PRH US c.e.o. McIntosh

Jonathan Karp, president and chief executive officer of Simon & Schuster, has named the publisher’s new board of directors, following the recently announced purchase of the publisher by private equity firm KKR.

Six leaders from the publishing, media, and technology industries will join Karp on Simon & Schuster’s newly formed board. Senior publishing executive and investor Richard Sarnoff will serve as chairman of the board, alongside KKR executives Ted Oberwager and Chresten Knaff, and independent board members including former PRH US c.e.o. Madeline McIntosh, V Pappas, and Kareem Daniel. 

Sarnoff has experience in publishing, media and education, having served as a senior executive and supervisory board member at Bertelsmann, where he held leadership roles both at Random House and Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments. He also served as chairman of the Association of American Publishers as the publishing industry adapted to the growth of e-books and audiobooks. He currently serves as chairman of Media within KKR’s Americas Private Equity business and on various boards.

McIntosh joins the board with a career in publishing, having held various leadership positions in the industry. She most recently served as chief executive officer of Penguin Random House US, during which time she pioneered the adoption of new technologies and use of data and analytics to capture growth opportunities. She currently serves as president of the board of directors for Poets & Writers.  

Senior KKR executives also joining the Simon & Schuster Board are Oberwager, a partner at KKR who leads the gaming, entertainment, media, and sports verticals within KKR’s Americas Private Equity business, and Chresten Knaff, director at KKR and a member of the firm’s media and software industry teams. They have both had instrumental roles in KKR’s publishing industry investments in RBmedia and OverDrive, as well as numerous other media, digital media, and technology investments for KKR, and they both serve on multiple boards. 

Pappas joins the board with a wealth of experience in social media and the creator economy, having most recently served as chief operating officer of TikTok. Pappas has previously held roles including global interim head and general manager for North America, Australia and New Zealand. During Pappas’ five-year tenure with TikTok, they oversaw the growth of the platform, including during the emergence of the BookTok phenomenon. Earlier, Pappas served as the global head of creative insights at YouTube, and currently serves on the board of trustees for The Paley Center for Media.

Daniel joins the board with global expertise leading strategy, storytelling, and commercialisation over an 18-year tenure at The Walt Disney Company. He most recently served as chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution overseeing the organisation that delivers Disney’s storytelling to fans around the world. Earlier, he served as president of Consumer Products, Games and Publishing, where he led product development, licensing, e-commerce, video games and Disney Publishing Worldwide. Daniel currently serves on the board of McDonald’s.

Karp said: “We are thrilled to have such a dynamic and highly qualified team guiding us forward. Their collective experience in digital innovation, global business strategy and deep understanding of the publishing ecosystem will be instrumental in our growth and success as an independent publisher.”