PRH’s group publishing operations director Esson to retire after 37 years at the company 

Stephen Esson, group publishing operations director at Penguin Random House UK, is set to retire after 37 years at the company in March.

He will be succeeded by Dan Edwards, who is currently deputy publishing operations director, and will join the PRH UK leadership team and report to c.e.o. Tom Weldon.

Esson joined Century Hutchison as educational production manager in 1986, before its purchase by Random House. He was named group production director of Random House in 1992, and then group publishing operations director in 2005.

Described by the organisation as “passionate about books and the way that we produce them”, Esson has led on some major company advancements, including the development of the pioneering Biblio publishing management system, the first consumer publishing print-on demand-programme, and the introduction of Penguin Random House’s FSC certification, the first for a publishing house.

He was appointed group publishing operations director following the Penguin and Random House merger, and in his current role oversees a department of divisionally focused teams across inventory management, sustainability, and print, e-book and marketing production.

Speaking about his retirement, Esson said: “I have been in this company for 37 years in February, producing books for over 40 years. I have seen many changes, but what has never changed is my love for my job, for publishing and for the printing and paper industries. I feel very blessed and privileged that my life has been enriched by all the people I have known over this time and by the extraordinary opportunities that I have experienced.

“Penguin Random House is a wonderful company, our suppliers are truly remarkable and my colleagues in publishing operations are, simply, the best in the business: three further reasons why leaving will be very hard. However, I’m delighted to be handing over to Dan, someone who I admire, respect and who, more importantly to me, is a valued friend. He will do a fantastic job, and so who better to guide the way into the new future, whatever that will be.”

Edwards began his career in production at Transworld in 1999, moving on to Random House Children’s Books and then eventually to Penguin in 2008. During this period he held various production and operational roles, focusing on digital and physical production and inventory management, before being named deputy publishing operations director in 2018. The organisation says he has played an important role in driving its sustainability agenda and in his new position is keen to continue building on its progress.

He said: “I am delighted to be stepping up into the role of publishing operations director. Stephen has been a fantastic mentor to me, and I am most grateful for the care and support he has given me in preparing for this role. He will not leave easy shoes to fill but I am incredibly excited about working with the amazing team in our department, as well as colleagues and our supply chain partners around the world, to successfully deliver our publishing strategy.”

Weldon commented: “Stephen made this decision early last year, but generously agreed to stay on while we navigated some complex price negotiations with suppliers. He has successfully led our publishing operations team across a time when the industry and wider supply chain landscape have seen significant and wide-sweeping changes, including digitalisation and, most recently, the pandemic. He’s also led on major transformation internally and helped us make great headway towards becoming more sustainable as an organisation.

“He is deeply expert at what he does and we have been lucky to benefit from his extensive knowledge and experience over the years, particularly as the supply chain becomes more complex. I’ve learnt a lot from him and I’d like to thank him for everything he’s done for this company over this time, and wish him all the best in his retirement.

“Publishing operations is a highly specialist and critical area for our business, and it was imperative that the new leader of this team is someone who, like Stephen, has the right technical experience and expertise to set and deliver our strategy in this area. Dan has worked very closely with Stephen as his deputy, is highly skilled and well equipped to navigate the increasing complexities and challenges of the supply chain landscape. I am very much looking forward to working with him more closely from March.”