Hachette staff unite to celebrate Changing the Story’s DEI mission

SEVEN STAFF JOIN CHANGING THE STORY BOARD

12 September 2025, London UK – On 8 September 2025, Hachette UK’s staff attended the annual Changing the Story Festival, a day dedicated to reflecting on, connecting with, and celebrating the business’ DEI commitment.

With five events across Hachette UK’s London and Manchester offices, the line-up featured: founder of 55/Redefined, Lyndsey Simpson; BAFTA-nominated writer of The Responder, Tony Schumacher; South African, British poet and screenwriter, Thembe Muvla; thought-leaders and CEOs from The Unmistakables and Creative Access, Asad Dhunna and Mel Rodrigues respectively, as well as comedy and spoken word sets from Emmanuel Sonubi, Ivo Graham, Sarah Callaghan, and Alan Davies.

Key themes of exploration also included discussions on inclusive publishing and how publishers can find new ways to reach consumers. Chaired by journalist Sarah Shaffi and featuring YouTuber, social media and influencer, Jack Edwards, one panel explored the changing cultural landscape due to influences of streaming platforms and BookTok, and the increased demand for authenticity and representation in publishing.

At the festival, Carrie Bloxson, Chief DEI Officer, announced the seven representatives from employee networks who would be joining a restructured Changing the Story Board. As Hachette’s DEI initiative approaches its 10^th year, it will have six-month rolling slots reserved for seven staff. Those selected will have the opportunity to shape Changing the Story’s strategy and delivery as part of the publisher’s commitment to further democratise the way it approaches DEI. The inaugural group comes from the full range of Hachette UK’s business and includes Amanda Ahadizadeh, Carys Homer, Clara Diaz, Katya Ellis, Margaret Szmczyk, Peta Nightingale, and Siobhan Coleman.

Carrie Bloxson, Chief DEI Officer at Hachette UK, said: “To double down on our commitment to Changing the Story, we are relaunching our Board to include members from our Employee Networks. This change ensures we’re always evolving and acting responsively. It creates a steady feedback loop with leadership, keeping employee voices at the centre of how we grow. The Board will take on the responsibility of developing one to three key initiatives each year to address specific gaps, fostering cross-department collaboration and sparking creative solutions.”

Kim Kidd, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager at Hachette UK, said: “As we approach the 10^th year of our Changing the Story journey, this year’s festival was a chance to reflect on how far we’ve come, and what more we can do to advance DEI. Ultimately, our ambition is for our team, our publishing and our authors to be fully reflective of the society we live in. To do that, we need to actively seek different voices, perspectives and ideas. Both the content from our speakers at Changing the Story Festival and the introduction of our CTS Board reflect our ongoing commitment to this goal. It’s vitally important to us that all staff at all levels are actively accountable towards achieving it.”

Amanda Ahadizadeh, Senior Insight Analyst at Hachette UK and Changing the Story Board member, said: “Changing the Story is about quality – diversity in our staff directly improves the quality of our publishing, which allows our books to reach as many readers as possible. This matters to me because reading makes us all better citizens: more curious, empathetic, and clever.”

Siobhan Coleman, Editor at Summersdale and Changing the Story Board member, said: “Changing the Story is important to me as books, new worlds of ideas, and a career in publishing should be accessible to everyone. As a queer, neurodiverse woman, I understand the sense of validity and belonging that representation can foster and I am committed to helping Hachette change the story, not just for people like me, but for all.”