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Ralf Markmeier Appointed Managing Director and Publisher of HarperCollins Germany


New York, NY – WEBWIRE

HarperCollins Publishers today announced the appointment of Ralf Markmeier as Managing Director and Publisher of HarperCollins Germany, effective January 15, 2018. Markmeier will be responsible for the management of the company’s day-to-day operations, establishing strategic and publishing direction, and for driving business expansion in Germany. He replaces Thomas Beckmann, who will retire this coming February, after 18 years with Harlequin/HarperCollins Germany.

Markmeier joins HarperCollins Germany from Verlagsgruppe Random House. After stints at Bertelsmann and Dr. Oetker, he started his career at Random House by overseeing marketing and sales for Guetersloher Verlagshaus. After being appointed Publisher in 2003, he transformed the imprint into a successful non-fiction publishing house. He also worked on the integration of publishers Gerth Medien and Kösel after their acquisition by Verlagsgruppe Random House in 2006. In 2008, he was appointed managing director and publisher of Random House imprint Gerth Medien, where he was head of their book publishing, music label, music publishing, international music, as well as the magazine and book club-business. He also founded adeo publishing house in 2010. In 2014 he once again added the position of Publisher of Guetersloher Verlagshaus to his responsibilities. 

“I am delighted that Ralf is joining HarperCollins Germany,” said Chantal Restivo-Alessi, CDO and EVP of International Publishing for HarperCollins. “Ralf’s extensive trade publishing knowledge and management skills, gained at the biggest publishing conglomerate in Germany, will help us continue our growth trajectory.”

“I like the idea of international cooperation at HarperCollins while at the same time publishing strong local authors,” said Markmeier. “There is a start-up mentality, with ambitious plans for the future and a clear sense of where HarperCollins came from. I`m excited about being part of HarperCollins and to develop the existing business with the team in Hamburg.”

Added Restivo-Alessi, “I would also like to thank Thomas for his outstanding service over the last two decades. During his career, Thomas consistently demonstrated his deep understanding of book and magazine distribution, and his commitment to the business and to his team. In 2015, he managed the launch of HarperCollins Germany and contributed substantially to where we are today. I wish him all the best in his retirement.”

HarperCollins Germany was formed in 2015 out of the existing operations of Harlequin in Germany, which was started in 1986.

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About HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers is the second largest consumer book publisher in the world, with operations in 18 countries. With two hundred years of history and more than 120 branded imprints around the world, HarperCollins publishes approximately 10,000 new books every year in 17 languages, and has a print and digital catalog of more than 200,000 titles. Writing across dozens of genres, HarperCollins authors include winners of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals and the Man Booker Prize. HarperCollins, headquartered in New York, is a subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) and can be visited online at corporate.HC.com.


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