Mandy Hill, Managing Director of Academic at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, has been appointed President of the Publishers Association, succeeding Perminder Mann, CEO of Simon & Schuster UK. Mann continues to serve as an Officer of the Association. The leadership transition was formalized during the Association’s Annual General Meeting, held on Wednesday, 7 May at the Royal Society.
Rebecca Sinclair, Chief Brand Officer at Penguin Random House UK, has also been appointed as Vice-President and Treasurer of the Publishers Association.
In her remarks during the AGM, Hill emphasized the significance of the publishing sector’s role in the UK’s cultural and diplomatic influence. She underscored the need to defend intellectual property rights in the digital age, asserting the importance of ensuring that technology companies comply with copyright law and license the content they utilize.
Following her inaugural speech, Hill chaired a panel discussion on the theme of soft power. The session featured members of the UK Government’s Soft Power Council, including Vivienne Stern MBE, CEO of Universities UK, and Sir Peter Bazalgette, co-Chair of the Creative Industries Council and a non-executive board member at the Department for Education. Amy Price, Director and Head of Practice for Tech, Media and Telecoms at Public First, also contributed to the discussion, presenting findings from the report Publishing and Soft Power: Our Contribution to Knowledge Exchange and Cultural Collaboration.
The panel explored the evolving role of soft power in fostering international cooperation, assessing its relevance in the context of shifting U.S. policy on research and education, and its importance in maintaining strong relationships with global trading partners.
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