Friday, August 18, 2017

Publishers Lunch


Today's Meal


As planned, Pearson has sold their Global Education business -- which provides English language training and test preparation for Chinese students preparing to study abroad -- to privately-owned Chinese company Puxin Education. Pearson says the sale is expected to generate proceeds "in the region of $80 million." The business has sales of £78 million and an adjusted operating loss of £4 million, and the transaction will take approximately 1,900 employees out of Pearson's payroll. The company says the sale is part of their "strategic shift away from large-scale direct delivery services to focus on more scalable online, virtual, and blended services."

Pearson
acquired the business in 2011, for $155 million. While it was during Marjorie Scardino's tenure as ceo, the head of Pearson's International education business at the time was their current fearless leader John Fallon, who is the executive quoted in the original sale announcement: "It also significantly extends our scale, geographic breadth and range of education in the fastest-growing English language teaching market in the world."



Kathryn Little has been promoted to director of marketing for Macmillan Children's.

Madeleine Vasaly is leaving Quarto after five years with the company, most recently as associate acquisitions editor, to pursue freelance editing.

Liza Darnton has joined Amazon Crossing, as senior editor. Previously was a freelance editor specializing in memoir and biography and editor at The Penguin Press.

Director of the University of Washington Press Nicole Mitchell began her one-year term as president of the Association of American University Presses in June, just
announced.

Paul Harrington has joined academic publisher Berghahn Books as US sales manager.

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