Ella Patel appointed Head of DEI

14 January 2026, London UK – Award-winning publicist, Ella Patel, has been appointed Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Hachette UK. Effective immediately, and reporting to Group HR Director Lisa Waterman, Ella will be instrumental in Hachette’s ongoing, industry-leading commitment to Changing the Story, which ensures that all voices, perspectives, and ideas are included in its partnerships, people, and publishing.

In addition, Ella will join the cross-Atlantic Changing the Story team headed up by Hachette’s Chief DEI Officer, Carrie Bloxson, and Sara Munjack, Hachette Book Group’s Director of DEI.

Since joining Hachette in 2018, Ella has built a significant DEI portfolio at Hachette UK. As Co-Chair of THRIVE, Hachette’s Black, Asian, Mixed Heritage and Minority Ethnic employee network, she worked closely with senior leadership to deliver on Hachette’s DEI strategy, including the Ethnicity Pay Gap and resulting Action Plans, developing staff Retention Forums and building community through events and partnerships. Her boundary-breaking publicity campaign for Layla Saad’s Me and White Supremacy won three Publishers Publicity Circle awards, was shortlisted for a British Book Award and earned her recognition as a Bookseller Rising Star in 2021. She was also awarded Hachette’s Changing the Story Award for delivering in-house antiracism workshops based on Saad’s bestselling book.

Ella joins the role following her award-winning career in publicity at Quercus Books, where she was Head of Fiction Publicity, leading strategy for some of the publisher’s most prominent brand authors, including Elly Griffiths and Beth O’Leary. In 2024 she was awarded the Bookseller Association’s Publicist of the Year Award.

Ella Patel said: “I’m incredibly proud to be stepping into this role at Hachette, a organisation where I’ve seen and experienced first‑hand the impact that creative and intentional DEI work can have on people, culture and publishing decisions. My time as a publicist has shaped my belief that inclusion is not separate from commercial success, but fundamental to it. I’m excited to work with my UK and international colleagues to build on our Changing the Story mission and champion a company culture rooted in inclusion that reflects the diversity of the readers we serve.”

Lisa Waterman, Group HR Director, said: “I’m thrilled for Ella to be joining the team in this newly elevated role of Head of DEI which is a critical role for our business. I’ve worked alongside Ella for a number of years in her role as a Co-chair of THRIVE and witnessed the incredible impact that she has had on Hachette’s Changing the Story agenda. She is passionate about Hachette’s continued commitment to DEI, as well as being empathetic, diligent and commercial in approach. We are very lucky to have her onboard.”

Carrie Bloxson said: “Ella’s appointment is both a recognition of the depth of expertise she already brings and a signal of Hachette’s investment in leadership, culture, and internal talent. She understands that DEI is not a parallel effort or a set of good intentions, but a core business capability that drives performance and shapes how we lead, publish, and grow. I’m excited to work alongside her and Lisa as we continue to evolve Changing the Story across the UK and US, with a shared focus on impact, accountability, and long-term value.”

Changing the Story is Hachette UK and Hachette Book Group’s industry-leading DEI commitment, focused on the business’s mission to make it easy for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment, and opportunity. To do this, Hachette is committed to the vital work of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to ensuring that we include all voices, perspectives, and ideas in our partnerships, people, and publishing.