Napack appointed Wiley president and c.e.o.

Brian A Napack, a former president of Macmillan and currently an advisor at Providence Equity Partners, has been named the new president and c.e.o. at John Wiley.

Napack succeeds Matthew Kissner, who has served as interim c.e.o. since May, and who remains chairman of the company.

Kissner said Napack had been chosen, after a thorough search, "as the type of proven leader that can drive our continuous evolution as the trusted, innovative partner that our customers rely on to deliver the critical content, tools and services that they need to meet their goals." He said: "Brian has the deep industry experience, the passion for our business and the leadership ability to get us there."

Napack said: "I have long admired Wiley's foundational strength - its deep history, its culture of excellence, its world class publishing assets, and its strong financial position. I look forward to working with my new Wiley colleagues around the world to tackle the many exciting opportunities and challenges being presented by our markets and, in doing so, continue our tradition of exceeding the expectations of our customers, partners and shareholders." 

At Providence Equity Partners, a global private equity firm with over $50bn under management, Napack has been senior advisor focused on investments in education and media. He currently serves as a director on the boards of Blackboard, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Ingram Industries, Synergis Education, Recorded Books and others, but will leave "certain" of those boards as a result of the Wiley appointment.