Random House Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Markus Dohle sent a memo to employees this week regarding the company's publishing activities in Asia. Dohle announced that Random House Australia Managing Director Margie Seale will take on new responsibilities in addition to her existing New Zealand reports, effective immediately, for exploring and evaluating potential business opportunities in Southeast and Northern Asia on behalf of Random House Worldwide.
Seale, who has run the Australian company for the past nine years, "has an open-ended mandate and will take a step-by-step approach in recommending corporate investment opportunities, print and digital publishing and licensing agreements, brand extensions and more," Dohle wrote.
"Margie’s expanded responsibilities are a great example of how we can use local talent for the potential greater benefit of our entire worldwide company," Dohle continued. "She will work with our divisions on relevant projects and in close association with the Random House Worldwide Executive Board on strategic recommendations."
In this new role, Seale will report to Anne Davis, chief financial officer, and to Brian Davies, head of operations, U.K. and overseas, Random House Group U.K., whom she currently reports to in her managing director role.
Dohle noted that Seale's new role follows earlier decisions made regarding former Random House Asia businesses: In September, the publisher discontinued Random House Kodansha, a Japanese joint venture that began in 2003, and in February, divested a four-year ownership of Random House Korea, ending a publishing relationship that began two years earlier as a joint venture.
"We continue to believe in the great publishing and business-development potential in the Asian market for Random House, and Margie is perfectly placed to identify and to advise us about opportunities there for us," wrote Dohle.