Mckeown joins Fane for Business

Fane for Business, Fane’s business-to-business events production arm, has appointed Scarlet Mckeown as head of speaker bureau.

Spearheaded by Jonathan Phillips, the Fane for Business division focuses on spoken word events and helps drive book sales to non-consumer audiences. It offers corporations access to authors, event production and corporate memberships to Fane Live.

Mckeown, previously account manager at Speakers Corner, joined as head of speaker bureau on Tuesday (11th July). Mckeown will lead on all speaker bureau business, continuing to build on the success of the proposition, its overall direction and its marketing plans, both in the UK and internationally.

“She will work closely with publishers to maximise corporate book buying opportunities for key authors,” Fane said. “Meanwhile, Mckeown’s hire will free Phillips up to pursue wider event services contracts, both in the UK and internationally.” Philips, who was appointed a year ago is hoping to expand the global reach of Fane for Business.

Fane for Business has generated 20,000 book sales and £250,000 in author fees in its first year. It has delivered author events for over 40 different businesses ranging from Ralph Lauren and Lego with authors such as Stanley Tucci at Google and Elizabeth Day at Snapchat. “Corporate events offer publishers an excellent opportunity to drive additional orders,” Fane said.

Mckeown commented: “As a full-service event agency with years of experience and industry knowledge, as well as close ties to the publishing industry, Fane for Business brings a unique offering to the corporate speaking world and I am excited to see this grow and develop.”

Phillips, who headed up Penguin Connect before its closure last year, said: “The appetite from the corporate world for curated access to author experts, household names and world class events remains strong.

"It has been fantastic to witness our rapid growth in this space over the last 12 months. We’re delighted Scarlet will be joining the team in July to further bolster our proposition and expertise in this space.”