UK's Bloomsbury Publishing sharpens focus for AI-era with board appointment, restructuring
15/04/2026 08:57
April 15 (Reuters) - Britain's Bloomsbury Publishing BLPU.L appointed a senior executive central to its artificial intelligence-led expansion plans to its board on Wednesday, as it moved to restructure its business to adapt to a newer era of publishing and content consumption. "By aligning our business units more closely with our key markets, we can respond to changing tastes and customer preferences, strengthening our international and digital capabilities, and leverage new technologies," CEO Nigel Newton said in a statement. Here are details on the appointment and restructuring at the publisher of JK Rowling's "Harry Potter" books and Sarah J Maas' "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series: Jenny Ridout, managing director of the company's academic and professional division, will join its board as an executive director. Ridout led the publisher's AI initiatives, including spearheading an AI-training deal and a partnership with Google announced in early December. Bloomsbury will be restructuring its business into three independent, self-contained verticals - Bloomsbury Global Academic & Professional, Bloomsbury USA and Bloomsbury Consumer UK. Global Academic & Professional will continue to be led by Ridout, with the USA division headed by US Consumer chief Sabrina McCarthy. The consumer UK segment will be led by Kathleen Farrar. Each business unit will operate with its own editorial, sales, marketing, publicity, rights and audio functions. Bloomsbury has also consolidated central functions like finance, investor relations, commercial, metadata, royalties and technology under its chief finance and operations officer, Keith Underwood. (Reporting by Rishab Shaju in Bengaluru; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair) ((Rishab.shaju@thomsonreuters.com ; +91 9048142177))