New president for Publishers' Association

Stephen Barr, president of SAGE International, has been elected as the new president of The Publishers Association.

Barr succeeds Joanna Prior, managing director of Penguin General Books, who remains as an officer on the PA Council.

Barr said: 'The Publishers Association plays an essential role as the collective voice for the publishing community in the UK, at a time when that voice is needed more than ever before. During my term as president I hope to support the association’s skilled and expert team in continuing to make the case for publishing as an innovative and dynamically changing industry which makes a vital contribution to the UK’s culture, society and economy.'

'There remain important challenges to address: defending copyright as the key to building a sustainable infrastructure to support quality publishing; telling the story of publishing to a wider audience; and supporting the publishing industry in working to broaden the range of applicants to publishing careers and enhance the diversity of the publishing workforce. I look forward to working with the PA executive team and colleagues in the industry in pursuing these goals.'

The PA’s AGM also saw: Lis Tribe, managing director at Hodder Education, elected as vice president; Alicia Wise of Elsevier appointed as chair of the newly renamed Academic, Professional and Learning Publishers Council; and William Bowes of Cambridge University Press appointed chair of the International Board.