Kate Lyall Grant promoted to Severn House Board

Severn House publisher Kate Lyall Grant has been promoted to the Severn House Board.

Grant joins Severn House chairman David Young, Canongate chief executive officer Jamie Byng and Kate Gibb, chief operating officer of Canongate.

Having previously worked at Hodder & Stoughton, David Higham Associates and Simon & Schuster UK, Grant joined Severn House in 2010 and has been publisher since 2011.

Canongate Books bought independent Severn House Publishers from owner Edwin Buckhalter and his family for an undisclosed sum in September 2017. The specialist Surrey-based publisher was founded in 1974. Severn House had acquired crime imprint Creme de la Crime in 2011.

Grant said: "Since Canongate acquired the business in 2017, Severn House has entered an exciting new chapter in its 45-year history. I couldn’t have asked for more supportive or enthusiastic new colleagues than Jamie Byng, Kate Gibb and the Canongate team, with the fresh impetus, energy and insights they have brought to the mix, and I am so thrilled and proud to have been invited onto the board."

Byng said: "Kate Lyall Grant has impressed us in so many respects since we acquired Severn House and so it was a very natural and sensible decision to ask her to become a director of the company. Kate’s publishing experience is significant and having her on the board will enable her to make an even bigger contribution to Severn House as it goes from strength to strength."