Bloomsbury streamlines for growth
The company has operated a matrix structure with three major editorial divisions serviced by a global sales, marketing and publicity division. The central matrix structure has served Bloomsbury well over a period of considerable growth. To take this growth to the next stage, it has been decided to restructure to three vertical business units, with each business unit operating with its own editorial, sales, marketing and publicity, rights and audio functions reporting directly into the managing director of each.
The three vertical business units will be
- Bloomsbury Global Academic & Professional
- Bloomsbury USA
- Bloomsbury Consumer UK
The new structure positions the company for greater agility, clearer accountability and continued expansion.
As part of the proposed changes, an estimated 55 roles across the UK and US will be affected. All Bloomsbury staff affected have been informed and consultation processes are underway in line with local market employment regulations. The company is committed to fully supporting colleagues through these changes.
The new structure will come into effect on 1st June 2026, and is designed to streamline operations, strengthen international reach and accelerate Bloomsbury's growth strategy.
The restructuring has been led by a small group of executive leaders including Ian Hudson, who will retire from his permanent role at the end of June 2026. Hudson will remain with the company as a consultant contributing to longer term strategic planning and to support the transition.
Under Hudson’s leadership, Bloomsbury Consumer has enjoyed exceptional growth in sales and profitability. The division was awarded Children’s Publisher of the Year in 2024 and overall Publisher of the Year in 2025 at the British Book Awards.
Nigel Newton, Chief Executive of Bloomsbury, said, “I want to express my gratitude to Ian, whose leadership, strategic vision and publishing expertise have been instrumental in getting us to the strong position we're in today. I have appreciated Ian's counsel and I'm delighted that he will continue to work with us as a consultant.”
Nigel Newton, went on to say: “The new organisational structure creates a clearer, more agile framework that will enable us to deliver the next phase of Bloomsbury’s growth. 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. We are positioning the company to align with our ambitions, to take best advantage of the opportunities ahead and to continue to create long term success.”
Leadership of new divisions:
Bloomsbury Global Academic & Professional will be led by Jenny Ridout, whose remit expands to include A&P Sales, Marketing and Publicity, Rights and Audio in the UK and rest of World. In the US, these functions will be delivered locally, with Sabrina McCarthy leading US A&P Sales, Marketing and Publicity in partnership with Jenny Ridout.
Bloomsbury USA under the leadership of its president Sabrina McCarthy, who continues to lead US Consumer and now also assumes responsibility for US A&P Sales and Marketing, Rights and Audio activity while aligning with Jenny Ridout’s global strategy.
Bloomsbury Consumer UK. Kathleen Farrar will become Managing Director, taking responsibility for all editorial reporting across Consumer and Special Interest including Adult and Children’s along with Sales, Marketing and Publicity, Rights and Audio for those divisions.
The three divisional leaders will report to Nigel Newton, Founder & Chief Executive.
Alongside the three business divisions, Bloomsbury has consolidated key central functions to streamline and strengthen operational support, under the leadership of Chief Finance & Operations Officer, Keith Underwood. These responsibilities will include Finance, Investor Relations, Commercial & Metadata, Operations, Royalties, Technology, Website and a central Project / Change Management office. The Production function will continue to be a central service led by Stephen Esson, as part of this CFOO unit, also reporting to Nigel Newton.
Following Kathleen Farrar establishing and then leading the Australia team, Bloomsbury is also strengthening its APAC regional structure, bringing together Australia, India, Singapore and the company’s joint venture in China under unified leadership. This region will be led by Vafa Payman, in his new role as Managing Director, APAC and Corporate Development and he will become a member of the Executive Committee. This approach supports Bloomsbury’s international growth ambitions, enabling closer coordination across the region and maximising opportunities in some of the company’s fastest growing markets.
In addition to the structure changes, Jenny Ridout has today been appointed to the Plc Board of Directors. This follows the long practice of having the leader of the academic publishing on the board. Jenny has also been the leader in Artificial Intelligence and was instrumental in both the AI training deal announced in July and the partnership with Google announced in December. She recently studied for a Post Graduate Diploma in Artificial Intelligence for Business from the Saїd Business School in Oxford, and the Board welcomes her voice for the future.
Bloomsbury is expanding with the announcement in January of the opening of a new base in Singapore to harness the growth in academic markets in Asia.
