PRH CEO McIntosh Steps Down
Madeline McIntosh will leave her position as CEO of Penguin Random House US following a transition period:
I am stepping down from my position as your U.S. CEO. I’m not leaving right away; instead, Nihar [Malaviya] and I are working very closely together to determine the best plan for the U.S. organization going forward. I know you’ll be in good hands with Nihar and the U.S. Board. They know and love this business as much as I do. For the time being, all remains as usual.
Malaviya is also interim CEO of Penguin Random House worldwide, a position he took over following the departure of Markus Dohle last December.
McIntosh explains her reasons:
So, why leave? For one thing, I don’t think CEOs should stay in their seats forever. Fresh perspectives can be incredibly healthy and helpful for organizations, and so I believe this is not only the best decision for me, but also for PRH. As much as I know we’d continue to thrive together with me here, I also think there’s good to be had in embracing change.
The other reason is just about me and my own approach to professional growth. Even though I’ve spent so much of my life in a single company, my path through books has never been linear. From editorial, to new media, to sales, to audio, to Amazon (and Luxembourg!), to leadership of our digital transition, to the making of Penguin Random House, to publishing with the Penguins, and finally to this seat: It’s a road that would have been hard to plan for or predict. The points of my biggest pivots are exactly the ones that taught me the most.
Malaviya says,
Over the next weeks, Madeline and I will be carrying forward our collaboration and working together to shape the new organization…. Madeline will stay through this transition period and will work closely with me to minimize any disruption to the company and all of you.
This is just the latest high-level change at PRH since the US Justice Department blocked their merger with Simon & Schuster in November 2022. In addition to Dohle leaving, president and publisher of the Random House Publishing Group, Gina Centrello, announced her retirement earlier this month.
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