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Pan Macmillan promotes Claire Evans and Poppy North among senior reshuffle
Pan Macmillan has announced a major reshuffle across its communications teams including new roles for Claire Evans, Poppy North, Jamie Forrest and Cheyney Smith.
Claire Evans, communications director for Pan and insight, has been appointed to the newly created role of director of insight, working across Pan Macmillan. Poppy North is stepping up to become Pan communications director for publicity, also a newly created position. Both appointments are with immediate effect.
Evans’ new appointment will see her lead a cross-divisional consumer insight function at Pan Macmillan, “embedding the consumer at the heart of its business throughout the publishing process in order to deliver better targeted publishing programmes and the campaigns and partnerships to support them”, the publisher said.
Evans will also conceptualise, lead and embed strategic projects that use insight to drive the growth plans of every division. Evans joined the company seven years ago as communications director of commercial fiction and brands, from Transworld, where she was deputy marketing director.
Evans will report to UK and Ireland sales director Christine Jones and will continue to be the communications leadership team led by group communications director Sara Lloyd.
Jones said: "This is a really exciting development for Pan Macmillan and I’m thrilled to be working with Claire who is the perfect candidate for this role. As insight director, Claire will be able to bring her passion and experience in consumer insight to support and drive our business as a whole, across both adult and children’s divisions."
Evans commented: "I’m delighted to be stepping into this new role as director of insight, working with teams across Pan Macmillan to enhance our understanding of our audiences, identify areas for growth and strengthen our competitive advantage." She also praised North as "inspiring".
Evans added: "I greatly look forward to working with Christine, Sara and the publishers across the company to bring us closer to all our audiences and help to drive the growth plans of every division."
Following Evans’ move and significant growth at Pan, North is promoted to the newly-created role of communications director—publicity. She will report directly to Pan managing director Lucy Hale and join the company’s communications leadership team.
North will be responsible for setting, communicating and directing a clear, inspiring communications vision and strategy across publicity for Pan and its imprints in line with Pan Macmillan’s wider business strategy.
North said: "This is a hugely exciting time to be working at Pan and I’m thrilled to be stepping up to communications director—publicity, working closely with Lucy and the senior team as the division continues to grow and thrive. Our comms team is fantastic, and I’m hugely excited for what’s to come."
Hale said: "Poppy is a superb publicist and brilliant team leader, leading on attention-grabbing campaigns for Rick Astley’s Never and Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough’s From Here to the Great Unknown and helping to secure Pan’s phenomenal 77 Sunday Times appearances so far this year.
"This is a much deserved promotion and I look forward to continuing to work with Poppy to realise Pan’s ambitious plans for the future. I’d also like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Claire for all of her great work during the last seven years and wish her the best of success in her new role."
Pan will also be recruiting for the role of communications director for marketing as marketing director Jamie Forrest becomes Macmillan’s Children’s Books’ communications director. This follows the promotion of Alison Ruane to the role of managing director of the division in July, to whom Forrest will report.
Forrest will work with the division’s senior team to drive influential, audience-facing communications strategies across the whole Macmillan Children’s Books list—including imprints Campbell Books, First Ink, Two Hoots and Kingfisher—maximising engagement and reach. He will also join the communications leadership team.
Cheyney Smith, currently senior marketing manager at Macmillan Children’s Books, is promoted to head of marketing replacing Sarah Plows, who has moved to Bloomsbury Children’s Books.
Alison Ruane, managing director of Macmillan Children’s Books said: "I’m thrilled with these senior appointments to the Macmillan Children’s Books team as we prepare for future growth.
"Jamie is a marketing heavy weight, has led successful teams and knows how to deliver number one bestsellers, build brands and nurture new talent. He has significant experience in developing and growing audiences for books, and using reader insight to inform strategy. He blew me away with his passion for children’s books and clear understanding of the market and I cannot wait for him to join my senior team in the new year.
"Cheyney has been with Macmillan Children’s Books for nearly a decade now and continues to impress with her astute commercial understanding, consumer viewpoint and creative marketing strategies. Cheyney is ambitious for Macmillan Children’s Books and I’m delighted that she will be part of the team, in this more strategic role, driving bestsellers and future growth."
Forrest said: "It is a huge privilege to be stepping up to lead the award-winning communications team at Macmillan Children’s Books and working with Cheyney as the newly promoted head of marketing.
"Macmillan Children’s Books is a publishing powerhouse, deftly balancing chart success with the biggest authors and illustrators in the business, alongside a creative flair for breaking out and building exciting new talent. I have always admired the team’s passion, integrity and advocacy for the transformative power of children’s books, and it is an honour to become a part of that crucial work.
"It has been a career highlight leading Pan’s marketing team. I have been fortunate to direct some truly wonderful campaigns: from chart-topping brands such as Peter James, Ann Cleeves and Kate Mosse, to breakout successes with the Booker-shortlisted Percival Everett and the wonderful stable of SFF talent at Tor.
"I am excited to bring this experience to Macmillan Children’s Books’ comms team under the leadership of Alison Ruane, and to help Alison steer this inspiring division through its next exciting phase of growth."
Smith said: "I’m hugely excited to be taking up this role as head of marketing at Macmillan Children’s Books, working with Jamie under Alison’s new leadership. I’ve been part of this fantastic team for nearly a decade now and their skill and passion for the life changing power of reading is second to none. I cannot wait to continue working with our brilliant list of authors and illustrators and play a more strategic role in the division’s success."
Forrest will begin his new role in January 2025, reporting into Ruane. Smith’s promotion will take place with immediate effect and from January 2025 she will report into Forrest.
