Hachette Livre Chairman Arnaud Nourry announces leadership changes at Hachette Book Group and Hachette UK

Arnaud Nourry, Chairman of Hachette Livre, announced today that after seven years at the helm of Hachette Book Group, David Young has decided to return to the UK to be with his family. His last day as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hachette Book Group will be March 31, 2013. He will remain Chairman of HBG and will return to the U.S. approximately one week per month.

Effective April 1, 2013, Michael Pietsch, now Executive Vice President of HBG and Publisher of Little, Brown and Company,will succeed David Young as Chief Executive Officer of HBG, assuming full responsibility for the company’s profitability and direction. He will report to David Young and will begin immediately the search for a new Publisher for the division that he has led for the past 11 years.

Effective immediately, Ken Michaels, HBG’s Chief Operating Officer, is promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer. Ken Michaels joined HBG in 2009 and has overseen major contributions to HBG and Hachette Livre with the Order to Cash and Digital Asset Distribution platform, among many other systems enhancements. He is also responsible for HBG’s important third-party distribution services that will see the return of Disney and Hyperion in the second quarter of 2013.

In the UK, David Young on June 1, 2013 will assume the role of Deputy Chief Executive of Hachette UK and Chief Executive Officer of The Orion Publishing Group, a division of Hachette UK. In that capacity he will report to HUK’s CEO, Tim Hely Hutchinson. Tim Hely Hutchinson has today announced that Peter Roche will retire, in June 2013, from his role as Deputy CEO of Hachette UK and CEO of The Orion Publishing Group, the company he co-founded in 1992 and which he has led for the past 10 years.

David Young will also chair Hachette Livre’s Chief Operating Officers’ council, covering France, UK, USA and Spain, to help all parts of Hachette Livre benefit from his understanding of the publishing processes, systems, and efficiency. In this role and in his capacity as Chairman of HBG, he will report to Arnaud Nourry.

Arnaud Nourry said, “David Young took over as CEO at a time when the company didn’t have a home or even a name—and brilliantly led the building of Hachette Book Group, one of the most extraordinarily successful and respected publishing companies in the world. Working with a great team of executives leading every department and division, he oversaw a transformation into best-in-class modern publishing, underpinned by superlative systems and communications. With David's guidance and vision, HBG has become a leading digital publisher, and he has instilled in the company a spirit of innovation that has won HBG industry awards. He focused always foremost on supporting his publishers in finding great writers and working with themclosely on every aspect of publication, and he did so with constant warmth,humor and perceptiveness. In so doing he led the company to innumerable #1 bestsellers – the highest bestseller percentage of any American publisher. I am thrilled that he is staying with Hachette and that I will get to continue my close relationship with him.”

Nourry added, “it also pleases me immensely to be able to fill the important and challenging role of HBG’s CEO from within the company. Michael Pietsch is a superb publisher and I cannot wait to see all he will accomplish as he brings those skills to the larger role of CEO. I hope you will all join me in supporting Michael and wishing him every success in his new position.”

David Young said, “I am returning to the UK because I miss my wife and children too much: I shall also miss all of my great colleagues at HBG and working in the U.S., but family comes first. I have enjoyed enormously my time here and the company going from strength to strength, and I leave behind a brilliant team who work together so wonderfully, and will now be very ably led by Michael Pietsch. Working with Michael and the great team of publishers and the marvelous authors we have the delight of publishing at HBG has been a greatjoy. Seeing how Ken Michaels has transformed our business to become one of the leading digital publishers and distributors – a truly 21st century company – has been immensely fulfilling. I am delighted with my on-going involvement with HBG – that this is more à bientôt than goodbye! – and thrilled with my new roles with Orion, Hachette UK, and Hachette Livre.”

Michael Pietsch said, “Hachette Book Group is one of America’s great publishing companies, and the eleven lucky years I’ve worked as Little, Brown’s publisher have been a delightful education in the joys of making and marketing books. I am looking forward to working with all of HBG’s brilliant publishers and executives in making this company the #1 destination for writers, agents, distribution clients, and the inspired people who choose to work in book publishing. I’m also thrilled to work more closely still with the amazing David Young, a sartorial and oenological sage who has led HBG with warmth, vigor, and rigor through the tremendous changes of the digital age, and with Arnaud Nourry, a visionary executive and leader.”