Pan Macmillan appoints Jodie Williams as head of diversity, equity and inclusion and social impact

Pan Macmillan has appointed Jodie Williams as head of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and social impact.

Williams will be responsible for leading Pan Macmillan’s DEI strategy, "ensuring that Pan Macmillan maximises its capacity of positive social impact and adapts to societal changes, while maintaining a competitive edge that helps the company to attract talent from broad and diverse backgrounds".

The expanded role was created after Tunde Agbalaya, who joined Pan Macmillan on a fixed-term contract in May 2022, left the DEI role.

Previously, Williams was the group head of diversity and inclusion at the Sytner Group and has 15 years’ experience in corporate social responsibility and DEI roles, including at ITV, National Express and Yorkshire Water.

She is also a board member for two charities: GIPSIL, which works with vulnerable young people to provide housing-related support, and health and social care charity Harrogate Skills 4 Living.

Williams has been shortlisted in the head of DEI category at the European Diversity Awards and the Inclusive Companies Awards and in 2019 was listed in the top 100 Northern Power Women Future List.

Williams said: "The publishing industry has historically been known to be quite exclusive and, while there has been progress recently, there is still much more to do."

Briony Grogan, director of people and culture, said: "Jodie has an excellent track record of driving meaningful organisational change, including working collaboratively with employee resource groups (ERGs) to embed DEI across the workplace. I’m proud of our award-winning culture at Pan Mac, and there is a strong desire to make a difference through what we do."
Joanna Prior, c.e.o. of Pan Macmillan, added: "Our responsibility as publishers is to get books into the hands of as many people as we can. Jodie’s track record of delivering tangible results, combined with her passion for books and literacy, make her the ideal candidate for this role."

Williams will join the company on 25th September, reporting to Grogan. In addition, Susan Rice joined the company as head of people from News UK where she spent a decade working in HR roles. Rice will be responsible for developing and fulfilling Pan Macmillan’s people strategy and will also report to Grogan.