Springer Nature's Dale to join Hachette UK as general counsel

Hachette UK has appointed Jane Dale from Springer Nature as its new general counsel, succeeding Alex Hardy who will return to Australia with her family later this year.

Dale will take up the role in January 2022, based at Hachette UK’s headquarters in Carmelite House.

Currently deputy general counsel at the Springer Nature Group, having joined the company in 2012 as divisional counsel, Dale oversees the legal teams in the UK, India, China and South Africa, editorial rights and the legal operations function. She is also the legal support partner for Macmillan Education.

Before joining Springer Nature, she was assistant regional counsel at Disney UK for more than nine years and director at Disney Hong Kong for another two. Before that, she was an experienced corporate lawyer with roles at Titmuss Sainer Dechert and Simmons & Simmons.

She said: “I am delighted to be taking up the position of general counsel at Hachette UK and joining such a dynamic and creative company. I am looking forward to supporting the strategic objectives of Hachette UK’s divisions and continuing to strengthen the general counsel organisation through the important initiatives launched by Alex.”

Hardy joined Hachette UK in April 2020 as legal (business affairs) director and has been general counsel since May 2021. She first worked at Hachette UK in the contracts department of Orion Publishing Group in 2007. She was the legal manager at Octopus Publishing Group, before joining law firm Harbottle & Lewis, where she became a partner and head of the firm’s publishing practice.

She said: “It is hard to express what a difficult decision this has been for my family and I, especially since I have so enjoyed my recent return to Hachette. Whilst I’m very sad that I won’t see the fruition of so many of the projects and partnerships I’ve been working on with the team here, I’m so pleased that we have found Jane, who I know will make an incredible contribution to Hachette UK.”