Despite being around since 1949, we recognise that there are times when we need to seek advice from seasoned professionals. In 2018, an advisory board was created to provide support around any human resources, legal, financial or public relations-related matters. In 2024, the advisory board was expanded to include support around membership. The advisory board consists of experts in these fields along with the previous year’s UK Chairs.
Eleanor is a Project Editor at Dialogue, Hachette UK. She has been in publishing for over seven years and held previous roles across editorial and production departments at Intellect Books and Palgrave Macmillan. Eleanor was Co-Chair of SYP UK in 2024, following on from a Chair position with the South West SYP branch in 2023. She lives in Bristol.
M
ichaela is a Marketing Manager at Bounce Sales and Marketing, a sales agency that represents over 40 different children’s publishers to the trade, many of them independent. Michaela was an SYP UK Co-Chair for two years, and started in publishing remotely during lockdown but now works in London.
Suzy Astbury is the Managing Director and Owner of the industry’s leading publishing recruitment agency, Inspired Search & Selection. Inspired Search & Selection is celebrating its’ 20th birthday this year having started in 1999.
Before moving into publishing recruitment, Suzy worked in trade publishing for several years. In her role as MD of Inspired Search & Selection, she actively headhunts for the industry at its most senior level roles (C-level and Board positions), consults extensively at board level around talent strategies & trends, diversity & inclusivity and succession planning. She also has particular strength in management and leadership.
She joined the SYP Advisory Board to advise on all HR issues, any initiatives that will aid the SYP and help maintain excellent systems and processes to ensure the SYP preserves its reputation for being professional, well run and the best it can be.
Twitter: @suzy_a
Gareth is a finance professional, working in publishing for the last decade. In 2017 he led a management buyout of The History Press from city investors, cementing its location in Gloucestershire. He is now working with his fellow owners to build a modern dynamic publishing business.
He is also a trustee of Gloucester History Trust.
Twitter: @GarethSwain
Hannah Robinson has been the Publicity Director of Quercus Books, part of Hachette UK, for the past eight years. She began her publishing career as PA to the MD at Michael O’Mara Books before moving into their publicity department, and from there moved to Ebury where she worked her way up to Senior publicity manager over a period of seven years. Her PR specialist areas are commercial non-fiction, crime fiction and women’s fiction. Hannah has helped to create many bestsellers across fiction and non-fiction for many authors including Beth O’Leary, Elly Griffiths, Geraint Thomas, Jenny Eclair, David Lagercrantz and Peter May.
Twitter: @Hannah_Robbo
James has been a qualified solicitor since 2007 and specialises in litigation services for clients across a range of industry sectors, but with a special focus on technology and media companies. He has a particularly deep knowledge of the publishing industry, having worked within it for several years before becoming a lawyer.
Bridget Shine is Chief Executive of the Independent Publishers Guild (IPG). She delivers the IPG’s strategy and has overall responsibility for the organisation. Since joining, Bridget has steered a doubling of the IPG’s membership and introduced numerous new services, events and resources.