Senior revamp at DK with new m.d. sought while Larter, Searle and Fine step up

DK has announced a “comprehensive restructure” of its publishing divisions, and the creation of four new m.d. roles, including a DK Adult publishing position for which it is recruiting, alongside promotions for Sarah Larter, Mark Searle and Hilary Fine.  

The changes come as c.e.o. Paul Kelly leads the publisher single-handedly following Rebecca Smart’s move across to be internal leadership and talent coach for PRH UK. The revamp looks to broaden its investment in creative content and simplify the publishing structure into four divisions: children’s, licensing, learning and adult. 

All four senior positions will join the UK board in November when the changes come into effect 

DK said: “On the eve of the brand’s 50th anniversary, focus has been placed on expanding the range and depth of publishing and to further develop expertise within each area. Working with the hugely talented team throughout DK, Kelly is keen to reflect the market and broaden the global remit."

The newly created m.d. DK Adult position “reflects the ambitious plans Kelly and the leadership team have for the breadth of DK’s adult reference, narrative and travel portfolios,” the publisher said.  

“This exciting new role will be responsible for the future strategy of DK’s adult publishing working with our talented authors and shaping a future vision for our creative teams.”  

There will also be promotions for three current employees. From the current leadership team, Larter has been promoted to m.d. for DK Children’s, responsible for two of the current children’s divisions, Children’s 0-9 and Reference 9+, which have been consolidated.  

“Larter, an exceptional publisher in the children’s space, has been with the business for 20 years and has achieved commercial success building and developing an award-winning children’s division at DK,” the publisher said. 

Searle has been promoted to m.d. for DK Licensing having “built an unrivaled licensing division which continues to attract global powerhouse brands to the business,” according to the publisher.  

Additionally Fine has stepped up to m.d. for DK Learning “having spearheaded the successful global education strategy for DK”. 

Kelly said: “This is an incredibly exciting time. Simplifying our business enables our world-class leadership to elevate our publishing. I’m incredibly proud of the DK team.  

“Sarah is an exceptional leader, who manages some of the finest talent in children’s publishing, and I’m excited to see what she can achieve. Mark has quickly established himself at DK, building a robust division.  

“He is an astute publisher of popular culture who understands fans, fandom and their demands on brands.  

“Hilary is highly driven and has a strong empathy for what modern educators need and has very quickly constructed an incredible global education business.”  

He said that the new position as m.d. for DK Adult “is a fantastic opportunity to steer the brilliant team and the wide adult portfolio to new global heights” and that he has “high hopes we will find someone of equal merit to our existing leadership team for our ambitious plans”.