Quarto hires Gibb and Bresh to senior management team

Nanette Gibb and Carolyn Bresh have been appointed to Quarto’s senior management team.

Gibb joined as group director of people this month, following a five-year stint running her own HR consultancy, while Bresh will leave a Everymind Ltd after a decade to become Quarto’s chief financial officer in April.

Brian Porritt, who joined illustrated book publishing group as interim chief financial officer in May 2017, will stay with the business to work closely with Bresh during a handover period until the summer.

Bresh is currently a partner at Everymind Ltd, a consultancy that provides senior finance strategy and support, a post she has held since 2007. She will join the board as an executive director and will be responsible for Quarto's finance, strategic planning, and legal and business affairs functions.

Before joining Everymind, Bresh was c.f.o and group financial controller at Reuters Group plc, which she joined in 1995, working in the US and UK in divisional finance director roles. Previously she held various finance roles at Blenheim Group plc from 1992 to 1995, following her qualification at PwC.

Gibb’s appointment follows the relocation of Sally Dwyer to Australia, who was hired into the newly created role of director of people in 2014. The pair will work together during a period of transition.

As part of Gibb’s new role, she will report directly to c.e.o. Marcus Leaver, and a member of the senior leadership team, and will be responsible for Quarto's workforce. Her role will encompass human resources strategy and policy, including talent management and acquisition, organizational design and employee benefits, across the group.

Gibb has more than 25 years’ experience in human resources, developed over her tenure as human resources director for Hearst Magazines UK for 11 years and for CBRE UK for six years, among other roles. Since 2013, she has been running her own consultancy in HR and coaching.

Leaver said Gibb would “undoubtedly add a lot of value to our business and we all look forward to working with her”. He said: “It is with sadness that we have seen Sally Dwyer leave the business; we thank for her valuable contribution to Quarto over the past three years and wish her the best of luck in her personal and professional endeavours as she relocates to Australia.”

Leaver said that Bresh would “bring considerable sector and international experience, an increased commercial focus as well as strategic planning and analysis – all of which we need as an ambitious pure-play publishing business”.

“On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Brian Porritt for his considerable contribution over the last nine months and for agreeing to stay on to ensure a comprehensive transition. He has been an excellent partner and I am sure that Carolyn will build on the foundations he has put in place,” he said.

Bresh said: "I am thrilled to be joining Quarto at this exciting time. I am really impressed by the quality of Quarto’s books and Intellectual Property and look forward to working closely with Marcus and his team."

Gibb said: “I am delighted and proud to be part of Quarto’s next exciting chapter and look forward to partnering the leadership team and everyone across the organisation, as we strengthen and grow the business through publishing inspirational books and employing exceptional people.”

Earlier this month, it was www.thebookseller.com/news/quarto-consolidates-uk-based-adult-trade-imprints-707406">revealed that Quarto is rolling its UK-based adult trade imprints into a single new imprint called White Lion Publishing. The company will consolidate publishing from Aurum Press, Frances Lincoln and Quintessence under one single entity.