Schoenwald Succeeds Hyatt as Thomas Nelson CEO

Thomas Nelson President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Schoenwald has been promoted to president and chief executive officer, the religious publisher announced this week. He will replace current CEO Michael Hyatt, "who is stepping out of active management of the company but will continue to serve as chairman of the board," according to a statement released by Thomas Nelson.

"Thomas Nelson just finished a successful year with several books on the bestseller lists, including "Heaven Is for Real," which has been No. 1 on The New York Times list for 13 straight weeks. Now is the perfect time to turn the reins of the company over to Mark," says Hyatt, who will now serve Thomas Nelson as an advisor as well as represent the company to authors, the media and consumers. He also plans to pursue other interests such as speaking and writing.

"Mark Schoenwald is esteemed by employees, authors and customers. He is direct and willing to make the tough decisions, but at the same time humble and committed to our Christian mission. He has proven time and again that he can succeed in a tough environment. He is the right CEO to take Nelson into a new era," says Hyatt.

Prior to joining Thomas Nelson in 2005, Schoenwald served as president of several home decor, garden and gift companies, including New Creative Enterprises, One Coast Network and Kennedy Group. Earlier in his career, he served in multiple roles with Lenox Brands.

"Thomas Nelson is focused on growth," says Schoenwald, "and we strive to be the leading producer of Christian content and inspirational live events. We will continue to transform the company as we leverage the strengths of our traditional print business while implementing new digital publishing strategies. Through focus on innovation and execution, we will develop our content in any format and delivery method our customers desire. The company will embrace change, and we will move quickly to scale new ideas and opportunities that will be available in this rapidly changing business environment.