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Pearson’s Jacobs appointed m.d. of Hodder Education as Tribe retires
Hachette UK has appointed Seshni Jacobs as managing director of Hodder Education as Lis Tribe retires after a decade in the role and nearly 30 years at Hodder Education.
Jacobs, who has worked in various roles at Pearson since 2011, will take up the role in January 2023 and become a member of the Hachette UK Board.
Tribe will step down as m.d. at the end of 2022 and will remain as a consultant to the business until 31st March 2023.
Over the past 11 years at Pearson, Jacobs has worked as a mathematics publisher, head of mathematics, director of new business development for Pearson South Africa and, in 2018, she became a member of the Pearson South Africa senior leadership team as director of product management: schools.
In 2019, Jacobs was promoted to the English and global schools team, based in the UK. In her current, most recent role as director of product management: global professional development, she has facilitated cross-functional collaboration with global teams. She founded the Pearson Teacher Education & Learning (PTEL) Academy in January 2021, and its global presence now spans 52 countries.
Jacobs said: “I am honoured to be joining Hachette UK as m.d. of Hodder Education. It has been my career goal to lead a business that mirrors my vision and values—to make a difference in education by placing learners and teachers at the heart of all we do.
“The Covid pandemic has changed how people access and engage with educational content and this evolution provides Hodder Education with new areas for exploration and opportunity for growth. I am grateful for the opportunity to take the reins from a stalwart in the educational publishing community, Lis Tribe.
“Lis has provided a solid foundation for me to build on and I’m looking forward to leading the team and taking them on a new and exciting journey. Building on what Hodder Education is already really great at, my aim is to accelerate the transformation that has already begun to ensure the business achieves growth and a sustainable advantage ahead of the pack.”
Tribe spent the first five years of her career at Routledge as a social sciences commissioning editor, before joining Hodder Education in January 1993 as commissioning editor for vocational subjects, including catering and childcare. A move to curriculum publishing saw her publish for, or oversee, three rounds of UK curriculum change from 2000 onwards.
Highlights of her time at Hodder Education include leading a period of significant organic growth, boosted in the UK by the acquisition of Rising Stars, and internationally by the acquisition of the Caribbean list from Pearson in 2014.
Tribe is currently chair of trustees for the Publishing Training Centre, a former president and now council member of the UK Publishers Association, and a member of the executive committee of the International Publishers Association.
Tribe said: “It has been a joy and a privilege to lead Hodder Education for the past 10 years, and I have enjoyed nearly every minute of my time here. The division has flourished within Hachette UK, and I have been fortunate to work with a brilliant group of people with whom I share a love of education and a sense of purpose in what we do.
“I am proud of what we have achieved together, but it’s the right time now to step aside so that the division can move into its next phase of growth and development. I wish Seshni all good fortune as she steps into a wonderful role.”
David Shelley, c.e.o of Hachette UK, said: “Over the last decade as m.d. of Hodder Education, among many other achievements, Lis has helped to gain significant market share, led us successfully through curriculum changes and spearheaded some significant acquisitions for Hachette UK, including Rising Stars, John Catt, Illuminate and TeeJay. Most of all, she has developed a team at Hodder Education that is the best in the business, and which is operating brilliantly.
“I will miss Lis’ incisiveness, her intelligence, her energy and her focus, all of which she has brought to the wider industry in her PA and IPA leadership roles, to the Hachette UK board, as well as to Hodder Education. I have loved working with her for the past five years and wish her a fulfilling and happy retirement.
“Seshni is, I feel, the perfect person to take the baton from Lis at this pivotal time for education publishing. She brings with her significant experience from her time at Pearson as director of product management and founder and director of the Teacher Education & Learning Academy, as well as from her years as an educator. She also brings with her dynamism and vision, and I am really looking forward to working with her.”
