SPCK Group, the UK’s leading Christian publisher made up of SPCK Publishing, Inter-Varsity Press and Lion Hudson, today announces the appointment of Wendy Grisham as Group Publishing Director.
Grisham is currently Head of Content for Spring Harvest at Essential Christian, and prior to that was Publisher and Vice President of Jericho Books which she founded as part of FaithWords in Nashville, Publishing Director of Hodder Faith in London, and Regional Publishing Director of Alpha International.
The Group Publishing Director is a newly created role following SPCK’s acquisition of Lion Hudson’s publishing, and will oversee all commissioning activity within the group’s imprints which include Inter-Varsity Press, SPCK Publishing, Lion, Monarch, Candle and the new FORM imprint.
Wendy Grisham said, ‘I am thrilled to be joining the SPCK Group at this exciting time in the history of such an illustrious organization. I have long admired the heritage of SPCK and the work that Sam Richardson and the team have done over the last seven years. As they enter this new phase with the acquisition of Lion Hudson and the restructure, I am delighted to join that team.’
‘As the vision for the future rolls out and SPCK moves further into the global space and the digital space, I can’t wait to contribute my experience, insight and relationships to this new role. To be part of the vision to acquire the best and biggest books from the leading authors and work with agents and publishers, both here in the UK and internationally, is a dream come true.’
James Catford, Chair of SPCK, said, ‘With her wisdom, experience and extensive connections, Wendy Grisham brings to SPCK an enviable reputation for publishing the very best books for Christians and the wider general market. I have admired her work over many years and I’m thrilled that she will be leading our highly talented team of editors to seize the many new opportunities that are emerging both domestically and globally.’
Sam Richardson, Chief Executive of SPCK, said, ‘We have made great strides in our publishing in recent years resulting in record growth and market share. Wendy is exactly who we need to take our publishing to the next level, commissioning the very best Christian books for the UK and global markets. I have admired Wendy’s achievements for many years and am hugely excited about working with her.’
As part of the restructure following the acquisition of Lion Hudson, the SPCK Group has appointed Suzanne Wilson-Higgins (formerly Managing Director of Lion Hudson) as Deputy Chief Executive, and John Hotham (formerly IT Director of SPCK) as Operations Director.
Alexandra McDonald (Commercial Director of SPCK) and Caroline Gregory (Finance and Shared Services Director of Lion Hudson) will be leaving the organization following the restructure.
Alexandra McDonald said, ‘I have spent eleven stimulating and happy years at SPCK looking after the rights, sales, marketing, publicity and most recently the fundraising teams and whilst I am sad to depart, I know that I leave behind a truly amazing department that will continue to step up to the challenges ahead as the organisation continues to evolve.’
Sam Richardson said, ‘I am grateful for the outstanding contributions that Alexandra and Caroline have made to SPCK and Lion Hudson and I look forward to see them thrive in their next roles.’
The SPCK Group is the UK’s leading Christian book publisher. Its vision is a world where everyone is transformed by Christian knowledge, and its mission is to lead the way in creating books and resources which help everyone to make sense of faith. Since coming under new management following the closure of its bookshops, SPCK has seen great success from its publishing in the last six years, doubling its income and winning Specialist Consumer Publisher of the Year three times and Large Christian Publisher of the Year three times. The SPCK imprint is a broad-based imprint seeking to publish the very best Christian books. SPCK’s subsidiary Inter-Varsity Press specialises in evangelical books. More recently the SPCK Group acquired Lion Hudson’s publishing with its world leading expertise in Christian children’s books and international co- editioning. SPCK is a charity founded in 1698 and governed by a royal charter. SPCK’s patron is Her Majesty the Queen and its president is the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Sam Richardson, Chief Executive of SPCK, is available for interview. Please contact 0207 592 3900.
Media Contacts:
Alexandra McDonald, alexandramcdonald2021@gmail.com and Caroline Gregory, Gregory.Caroline@hotmail.co.uk
