Jamie Hodder-Williams steps down as CEO of Hodder & Stoughton

Hachette UK has announced that Jamie Hodder-Williams will be stepping down as CEO of Hodder & Stoughton after more than 30 years at Hodder & Stoughton and 20 years as Managing Director and CEO. He will leave in spring 2022 to develop other publishing projects.

David Shelley, CEO of Hachette UK, said: “I’m extremely grateful to Jamie for the enormous amount that he has contributed to Hachette over the years. He has overseen Hodder & Stoughton’s growth into one of Hachette’s largest divisions, as well as being instrumental in the acquisition, integration and success of John Murray Press and Quercus, and the growth of Headline. He has worked closely with some of the world’s most successful authors, including Stephen King – a Hodder author for almost 50 years – John Grisham, Jean M Auel, John Connolly, Mike Gayle, Sophie Hannah, David Mitchell, David Nicholls, Graham Norton, Jodi Picoult, Rosamunde Pilcher and Peter Robinson. Other landmark achievements include the publication of Alex Ferguson’s autobiography, one of the bestselling memoirs of all time, the publication of Deliciously Ella, and his work on Michael Parkinson and Russell Brand’s memoirs.

“In recent years, Jamie has also set up the exciting Hodder Studio imprint, which is going from strength to strength, as well as being executive sponsor of our THRIVE employee network and instrumental in various ways in ‘Changing the Story’. Jamie has been a terrific colleague and an invaluable source of publishing knowledge and insight for all of us here, as well as a kind and thoughtful mentor to many. He’s also been fun and energising to work with. I wish him all the very best in his new ventures, and he will always be a close friend of the house.”

Jamie Hodder-Williams said: “I’m looking forward to exploring the possibilities that this exhilarating industry presents. At Hodder, I’ve had the privilege of working with an incredible roster of authors of every genre, from all over the world, many of whom have sold millions of books. The extraordinary range of voices we work with has been fun and inspirational. I am incredibly grateful for all the support we have received from the wider trade – from agents, booksellers, the media and partners all over the world. The team at Hodder and the wider Hachette group are driven by their passion for great stories and I know that they will go on to even greater success in future.”

Hodder-Williams started as a graduate trainee at Hodder & Stoughton, working in the warehouse, in 1987. He held a variety of editorial and marketing positions, working with Ion Trewin and Martin Neild, including the marketing of brand fiction into supermarkets for the first time, before becoming Managing Director of Hodder & Stoughton in 2001. Following the acquisition of John Murray, he created John Murray Press as a specialist non-fiction and literary division, and he led the acquisition and refocusing of Quercus and the re-energising of Headline with a revitalised team. Most recently, he recruited an editorial unit with a mixture of TV, audio and varied book experience to launch Hodder Studio.