Nicola Usborne named managing director of Usborne as founder Peter becomes chairman

Nicola Usborne has become managing director of Usborne, succeeding her father Peter, who is named chairman of the firm he founded almost 50 years ago.

Since 2015 Nicola Usborne has worked alongside her father running Usborne as deputy managing director.

Before she began working with Usborne, Nicola worked at Scholastic in New York for 12 years, managing gaming and educational technology businesses. In 2011 she co-founded the charity The Usborne Foundation alongside her father and brother. The charity aims to challenge some of society’s biggest problems by creating new and exciting ways for children to learn, using games, interactive media and video. Both Nicola and Peter Usborne remain as trustees of The Usborne Foundation. 

Peter Usborne, who started the company in 1973, commented: “I am delighted that Nicola has become Usborne’s managing director in an official capacity – she has been running Usborne extremely successfully for several years now. I love what I do, and I never intend to retire but the reality is that I am 85 and becoming chairman will allow me to remain very involved in the company that I founded and love for as long as I am able to. I still read every book, am involved in every big decision, and speak to staff daily.  I’ve taught Nicola all I know and am confident that Usborne is in incredibly safe hands for a bright future.”

Nicola Usborne added: “I am delighted to become Usborne’s managing director and to continue working alongside my dad in his chairman role; with publishing director Jenny Tyler, and all the extraordinary staff here at Usborne. My dad founded Usborne shortly after I was born so I have grown up with Usborne – I know my dad’s philosophies, his tastes and his very strong publishing and management values inside out. My job is to take this wonderful company into the future, retaining all that is unique and special about Usborne.”

The news comes ahead of the publisher’s 50th anniversary, which will be marked with a year-long trade and consumer campaign throughout 2023 that “will thank its supporters, from retailers to readers”.