Madeline McIntoshCEO, Penguin Random House U.S.Madeline McIntosh was appointed CEO of Penguin Random House U.S. in April 2018. Her previous positions in the company include President of the Penguin Publishing Group; President and COO of Penguin Random House U.S.; Publisher, Random House Audio; and Director of Adult Sales, Random House, Inc. Madeline originally joined the Random House predecessor Bantam Doubleday Dell in 1994, as an assistant in the New Media department. In addition to the variety of positions she has held within the company, she served in 2008 and 2009 as the Director of Kindle Content Acquisition for Amazon, based in Luxembourg.

Madeline serves on the Board of Directors for Poets & Writers, the nation’s largest nonprofit organization serving creative writers. She graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Fine Arts in 1991. She lives in New York with her husband and twin sons.

Jeff AbrahamPresident, Penguin Random House Publisher ServicesJeff Abraham oversees Penguin Random House Publisher Services (PRHPS), which provides sales, distribution and a wide variety of services to many of the leading independent publishers in the book industry. He joined Random House in 2006 as head of the predecessor to PRHPS–Random House Distribution Services. Since then he has overseen the expansion and transformation of this division into its current form and position as the industry’s leading service provider to over 45 independent publishers. He received the 2016 Bertelsmann Award for Outstanding Entrepreneurial Achievement.

Previously, Jeff led the Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG) as Executive Director, redefining its mission and strategy. Jeff’s 25-year publishing career began in the mid-1990s as CEO and President of Optimedia, an electronic publishing-solutions provider in the STM field, working with publishers such as Oxford University Press, Elsevier, and the American Medical Association.

Jeff holds an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University. He lives in Westchester with his wife and four teenagers.

Gina CentrelloPresident and Publisher, Random HouseGina Centrello is President and Publisher of Random House and a member of Penguin Random House’s U. S. Board.

Ms. Centrello began her career in publishing in 1982 as a copyeditor at Pocket Books, rising to Vice President and Associate Publisher in 1987, Executive Vice President and Publisher in 1993, and President in 1994.

Centrello left Pocket in 1999 to become President and Publisher of Ballantine Books. In 2003, she took over the helm of the newly formed Random House Publishing Group, which united the two divisions formerly known as the Random House Trade Group and the Ballantine Books Group. In 2008, the group added imprints from the Bantam Dell, Spiegel & Grau, and Dial Press divisions, creating a formidable house publishing the best authors in both literary and commercial genres.

A two-time winner of the Bertelsmann Award for Outstanding Entrepreneurial Achievement (2011, 2013), Centrello has a strong reputation for developing an industry-leading team in a rapidly evolving marketplace. Under her leadership, the One World imprint formally relaunched in 2016, highlighting the division’s commitment to centering marginalized and underrepresented voices. As of October 2018, Centrello has added to her leadership portfolio the joining of the Crown Publishing Group to the Random House division—creating a best-in-class book-publishing house with the scale to serve top-notch content to readers of all types.

Amanda D’AciernoPresident, Publisher, Penguin Random House Audio GroupAmanda D’Acierno is President and Publisher of the Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, overseeing the Random House Audio, Penguin Audio, BOT and Listening Library imprints. She has guided the audio business through a period of robust growth, increasing the audio list from 500 titles in 2008 to 1,200 titles in 2018. Under her leadership, the division has published audiobook bestsellers including George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit, Dan Brown’s Origin, John Grisham’s The Rooster Bar, Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time and the Harry Potter series.

D’Acierno is a longtime advocate for audiobooks, speaking regularly on behalf of Penguin Random House Audio at industry events including the London Book Fair, Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Digital Book World, and Audio Publishers Association Conference. In her tenure as publisher, Penguin Random House Audio was named the London Book Fair’s International Excellence Awards 2018 Audiobook Publisher of the Year, and has earned 6 GRAMMY® Awards and 16 nominations, 5 Odyssey Awards and 14 honors, and more than 31 Audie Awards and 91 nominations. A proud Texas native, D’Acierno lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children.

Annette Danek-AkeyExecutive Vice President, Supply Chain, Penguin Random HouseAnnette Danek-Akey has more than 25-years of experience in supply-chain management and industrial engineering, with strategic responsibility for warehousing and business-to-business customer relations. Annette’s responsibility includes more than 2.7 million square feet of Operations Center space in multiple locations, serving booksellers for Penguin Random House U.S., PRH Canada, DK U.S., Grupo Editorial U.S., and more than 40 third-party publishers. Annette manages the distribution, transportation, customer service, ebook billings, fulfillment systems, reverse logistics, and remainder sales for PRH to more than 30,000 locations. She is responsible for more than 1,700 employees, who ship an average of more than 1.5 million books per day. She is currently leading a cross-functional end-to-end supply-chain initiative with the global distribution and logistics leaders at PRH to create and leverage supply chain capabilities worldwide.

With a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering, Annette is recognized throughout the industry for her strategic knowledge and insight into supply-chain trends, as well as for her forward-thinking solutions mind-set. Annette attributes much of her success to her passion for developing, coaching, and cultivating new leaders.

Annette lives in Westminster, Maryland, where she is the President of the Carroll Community College Foundation, which provides scholarships to deserving students, as well as President of the Warehousing Education and Research Council, a nationally recognized supply-chain think tank, where she additionally served as 2017 Conference Chair. Annette has been featured in many different publications, and was most recently named one of DC Velocity’s 2019 Rainmakers, in recognition of her leadership in the supply-chain industry.

Sanyu Dillon Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Penguin Random House U.S.Sanyu Dillon is EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Penguin Random House U.S., where she leads the development of the company’s consumer marketing strategy. During her 15+ year tenure at PRH, Sanyu’s empathetic approach to marketing, centered on a deep understanding of evolving consumer needs, has helped the company connect with its readers through dynamic storytelling and breakthrough campaigns.

With a wide-ranging purview including consumer insights & analytics, media planning, advertising, partnerships, creative strategy, video and design, Sanyu is known for her incisive, visionary marketing leadership and her ability to work across levels and departments at PRH to create meaningful change. Her team’s channel and category-specific programs have consistently driven incremental sales, increased brand awareness and spurred consumer engagement through innovative ecommerce strategy and an insights-driven approach, spotlighting PRH’s books and authors.

Sanyu is a member of the Penguin Random House U.S. Board and has an Executive MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.

Allison DobsonPresident, Penguin Publishing GroupAllison Dobson was appointed President, Penguin Publishing Group in April 2018. In this capacity, she oversees Penguin’s adult publishing business in the U.S., which includes Avery, Berkley, Dutton, Penguin, Penguin Press, Plume, Portfolio, Putnam, Riverhead, Sentinel, Tarcher Perigee, and Viking.

Allison joined the company in 2008, first as a member of the Bertelsmann Entrepreneurs Program and then in a variety of corporate and divisional roles at Random House and eventually Penguin Random House, including as Vice President, Business Development and Digital Publishing Director at the Random House Publishing Group and most recently as Senior Vice President, Director of Strategy and Finance at Penguin.

Prior to her time in publishing, Allison spent several years on Capitol Hill and on political campaigns. She served as Communications Director for U.S. Senators Paul Wellstone and Tom Harkin and as a press secretary for John Kerry’s presidential campaign in 2004.

Allison has a BA in Economics and Government from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their two children.

Jen LojaPresident, Penguin Young ReadersJen Loja was appointed President, Penguin Young Readers in December 2015. In this capacity, she oversees all publishing and business for each of Penguin Young Readers’ publishing divisions, which include Dial, Dutton, Grosset & Dunlap, Kathy Dawson Books, Nancy Paulsen Books, Philomel, PSS!, Puffin, Speak, Putnam, Viking, Razorbill, and Frederick Warne. These imprints publish such acclaimed, award-winning authors and illustrators as Jay Asher, Judy Blume, Jan Brett, Eric Carle, Kristin Cashore, Ally Condie, Roald Dahl, Drew Daywalt, Matt de la Pena, Tomie dePaola, Sarah Dessen, Anna Dewdney, John Flanagan, Gayle Forman, John Green, John Grisham, Oliver Jeffers, Mike Lupica, Richelle Mead, B.J. Novak, Richard Peck, and dozens of other popular authors. Penguin Young Readers is also home to perennial brand franchises such as the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series, Peter Rabbit, Spot, the Classic Winnie the Pooh, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Madeline, Mad Libs, the Rangers Apprentice, and Who Was?, among many others.

Jen joined Penguin Young Readers in March 2009 as Vice President, Associate Publisher. Previously, Jen was Associate Publisher at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. She began her career in books as a buyer for Joseph-Beth Bookseller before moving into sales at both Candlewick Press and Houghton Mifflin, where she was responsible for the wholesale channel as well as Canadian sales. She joined Harcourt in September of 2004 as VP of Sales, Children’s Books and was named VP of Sales & Marketing, Children’s Books in 2007. At the merger of Houghton Mifflin and Harcourt she became the Associate Publisher of the HMH children’s list.

Nihar MalaviyaInterim CEO of Penguin Random House, President & Chief Operating Officer of Penguin Random House U.S.Nihar Malaviya was appointed the role of interim CEO of Penguin Random House starting January 1, 2023, and reporting to Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe. Nihar is a member of the Bertelsmann’s Group Management Committee (GMC) as well as the Penguin Random House Global Executive Committee.

As interim CEO of Penguin Random House, Nihar leads the creation of new competitive advantages that position the global company for future growth. In his capacity as President & COO of PRH U.S., which he took on in 2019, Nihar has responsibility for all publishing operations in the U.S. from supply chain to technology & data and client services.

Nihar began his career at Bertelsmann in 2011 as a participant in the Bertelsmann Entrepreneurs Program. In 2003, he moved within the group to Random House, successfully taking on a number of leadership positions resulting in his appointment as EVP and COO of PRH U.S. in 2014. Nihar spearheaded the creation of a variety of industry-first capabilities in data science, supply chain, technology, and consumer insights, and led the successful operations and systems integration of Penguin and Random House—the largest-ever merger in trade book publishing.

Nihar is a two-time recipient of the Bertelsmann Entrepreneur Award for Strategy Execution and serves on the Bertelsmann Technology and Data Advisory Board. He holds an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the NYU Stern School of Business, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. Nihar is also a member of the board of Yale University Press. He resides in New Jersey with his wife and two children.

Barbara MarcusPresident and Publisher, Random House Children’s BooksBarbara Marcus is President and Publisher of Random House Children’s Books, where she is responsible for overseeing all publishing and business activities. Random House Children’s Books publishes many of the world’s bestselling and most highly acclaimed authors and illustrators for young people today—including Dr. Seuss, Marc Brown, Roald Dahl, Carl Hiaasen, Lauren Kate, Christopher Paolini, Philip Pullman, Leo Lionni, James Dashner, Brandon Sanderson, Louis Sachar, Richard Scarry, and Markus Zusak—and is home to many of the most recognizable series licenses and characters in the world, such as Babar, Barbie, the Berenstain Bears, Disney, Little Golden Books, Nickelodeon, Pat the Bunny, Sesame Workshop, Junie B. Jones, and the Magic Tree House.

Prior to joining Random House in 2012, Barbara was Adviser to Open Road Integrated Media in the area of children’s digital publishing and general strategy. She also served as Strategic Innovations Adviser to Penguin Books USA, focusing on new ventures and publishing opportunities.

Before that, Barbara was President of Scholastic’s Children’s Book Publishing and Distribution, where, for more than twenty years, she was responsible for all children’s consumer book publishing and distribution in the United States, through school-based book clubs, school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs, school-based book fairs, and the retail channel. During her tenure, she led the expansion of the business from approximately $50 million to over $1 billion in annual revenue. After acquiring J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for publication in the United States in 1998, she also led the publishing effort for six of the seven Harry Potter titles.

Barbara began her career as Sales Associate, Bantam Lecture Bureau, after having graduated from Tufts University with a BA degree in American history.

Maya MavjeePresident and Publisher, Knopf Doubleday Publishing GroupMaya Mavjee is President and Publisher of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and a member of the Penguin Random House U.S. Board.

Maya has almost 30 years of experience in the publishing business. Most recently, she was President, Publishing Strategy, at Macmillan, where she worked on various aspects of the company’s development, including growth and profitability development, content development, diversity and inclusion, culture and talent.

From 2010 to 2018, she served as President and Publisher of the Crown Publishing Group U.S. at Penguin Random House LLC. She oversaw and fostered Crown’s creative and editorial vision as well as all aspects of its publishing business, including financial strategy, business development and digital strategy, publicity, marketing, production, talent retention and development. At Crown, she published bestselling and award-winning authors, such as Gillian Flynn, Erik Larson, Rebecca Skloot, Ina Garten, Yotam Ottolenghi and Susan Cain, to name a few. She also acquired the presidential memoir of former U.S. President Barack Obama, and in 2018 led the publication of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s international bestselling title BECOMING.

From 2000 to 2009, she served as Executive Vice President of Random House Canada and Publisher of the Doubleday Canada Publishing Group. Under her leadership, Doubleday Canada evolved into a profitable division, where she acquired and edited bestselling and prize-winning authors.

Maya serves on the board of WIN NYC, the largest provider of shelter and supportive housing to homeless families in New York City.

Maya was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and immigrated to Canada where she grew up.

Paige McInerneyExecutive Vice President, Director of Human Resources, Penguin Random House U.S.Paige McInerney was appointed Executive Vice President, Director of Human Resources, Penguin Random House U.S. in December 2018. In this role, Paige leads the company’s Human Resources function, which encompasses multiple areas, including employee relations, recruitment, diversity and inclusion, compensation, and people programs, with responsibility for Penguin Random House’s entire employee population across the U.S.

During her 25 plus years as a Human Resources professional within trade-book publishing, she has been an outstanding leader across many groups and a broad array of HR disciplines and initiatives. Paige is passionate about fostering an environment where employees feel empowered, valued, and safe, and is the founder of the Penguin Random House Diversity & Inclusion Council. A true HR generalist with extensive expertise and experience, she is frequently invited to speak at events and on panels and podcasts regarding a wide range of human resource topics.

In the early 1990s, several mergers and joint ventures ago, Paige began her human resources career with Putnam Berkley. She took on roles of increasing responsibility at Putnam Berkley, then Penguin Putnam, and eventually headed the HR function across the U.S. for Penguin Group USA. Prior to this appointment, for more than four years she led the HR generalist and recruiting teams for Penguin Random House’s publishing offices. Paige and her husband live just north of New York City.

Kimberly Ayers ShariffExecutive Vice President, Strategy for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Penguin Random House U.S.Kimberly Ayers Shariff was appointed Executive Vice President, Strategy for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Penguin Random House U.S. in May 2021, when she also became a member of the Penguin Random House U.S. Board. In this role, Kimberly leads Penguin Random House’s implementation of its companywide DE&I Strategic Plan and will help develop a broad-based vision for the company’s future ensuring the creation of books for everyone, by everyone, out of a culture where all feel welcome and empowered to fully participate in the process.

Kimberly spent more than half her career in the non-profit sector as Chief Administrative Officer at American Ballet Theatre, and Deputy General Counsel at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Kim began her career at Black Entertainment Television. While there, she had the opportunity to work on the legal aspects of BET’s merger with Viacom and was tapped to establish the business and legal affairs functions for the company’s post-merger New York City location.

With over 20 years of legal and operational experience in the arts and entertainment industry, Kimberly has honed her skills as a subject matter specialist in legal and business affairs, inclusion strategy, human resources, as well as non-profit management. She has been described as having a keen ability to analyze the existing infrastructure of complex organizations, and then implement strategy to enhance inclusive culture, operational efficiency, channels of communication and risk management without sacrificing culture, artistic integrity or entrepreneurial spirit.

Kimberly attended Georgetown University where she earned a B.A. in Sociology as well as a Certificate of African Studies from the School of Foreign Service. She also holds a law degree from Tulane University School of Law.

Kimberly lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children.

Jaci UpdikePresident of Sales, Penguin Random House U.S.Jaci Updike was named President of Sales, Penguin Random House U.S., in 2014. She is a member of the Penguin Random House North America Board and oversees the U.S. sales team, the largest in trade-book publishing, which serves retail and wholesale accounts, the library and education marketplaces, special sales, and international sales.

Updike began her career as a bookseller, and joined Bantam Doubleday Dell as a California-based sales rep in 1989. She has held a number of leadership positions in the company, working closely with her publishing colleagues on a wide array of bestseller campaigns and imprint launches. She had a key role in the integration of Penguin and Random House, and her current portfolio includes a variety of strategic projects related to both the digital and physical marketplaces.

Updike lives in Connecticut and is an avid traveler (especially when scuba diving is involved).

Nina von MoltkePresident, Director of Strategic Development, Penguin Random House U.S.Nina von Moltke is President, Director of Strategic Development, Penguin Random House U.S. In this capacity, Nina provides leadership on key strategic challenges and works with all publishing groups to help scope out content priorities and new business opportunities. In addition, this role includes oversight of the corporate author- and agent-centric functions, such as author contracts, royalties, permissions, as well as the Penguin Random House Speaker’s Bureau, the video team, and the author platforms group, which includes the PRH Author Portal, podcasts, e-courses, merchandising, and licensing.

Nina joined the company in 2002 as part of the Bertelsmann Entrepreneurs Program. She initially was a member of the business-management team of the Crown Publishing Group, and after a role in the central Finance group, she was promoted to Vice President, Corporate Development in 2004. In 2010, she moved to the publishing side, overseeing the Audio group, Fodor’s and Living Language, in addition to leading the digital product development efforts in the ebook and apps channel. She was instrumental in merging the audio and digital-product teams after the Penguin Random House merger, and has led the audio group through a phase of tremendous growth.

Nina’s career path has been marked by her dual interest in content and management. After completing an M.A. in Philosophy, Art History, and History of Sciences in Berlin, she first worked at various theaters and opera houses throughout Europe. After that, she switched course, and worked for the strategic consulting firm McKinsey, before going to the Kennedy School at Harvard in 2000 for an M.P.A. degree. Nina resides in New York City with her husband and three children.

Jim JohnstonChief Financial Officer, Penguin Random HouseJim Johnston was appointed Chief Financial Officer in September 2018. In this dual global and U.S. role, Jim oversees the management and coordination of all fiscal planning, reporting, and analysis for Penguin Random House U.S. and provides financial leadership and support across all territories. During his tenure, Jim has managed several initiatives dedicated to the continuous improvement of the systems that safeguard our company assets.

Jim joined Random House in 1990 and subsequently became a valuable member of the Knopf Publishing Group, where he served as Director, Business Operations. In 2003, he became the Director of Worldwide Reporting and Planning. During the merger of Penguin and Random House, Jim guided the successful integration of the budgeting process and financial consolidation of the newly formed company.

Previously, Jim worked at Scholastic for three years. He holds a Finance degree from Pace University, and lives in Connecticut.

Anke SteineckeExecutive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel U.S., Penguin Random HouseAnke Steinecke was appointed General Counsel of Penguin Random House in the US in July 2016, and named Chief Legal Officer of Penguin Random House worldwide in January 2018. In addition to leading the legal team in the US, she advises and provides legal support across territories with an emphasis on a pragmatic, collaborative, and productive approach to legal matters.

Anke is a recognized expert in First Amendment and Intellectual Property law, and she and her team counsel on all aspects of the publishing process, prepublication and content review, litigation, material transactions, including corporate and commercial contracts and M&A, licensing and intellectual property matters, finance and data protection/privacy and general corporate matters.

Previously, Anke served first as counsel for Random House Children’s Books, and then for more than 10 years for the Knopf Doubleday Group, where she handled an extensive number of complex publishing-related matters and negotiations. She has been the lead in-house attorney and advisor on mergers and acquisitions, starting with Golden Books in 2000, and more recently the trade publishing business of Santillana and Edicones B in Spain and Latin America.

Prior to joining Random House in 2000, Anke was an attorney with the law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine, where she advised book publishers and other media companies in First Amendment and Intellectual Property matters.

Anke has law degrees from the University of Munich in Germany and NYU. (LLM).

Claire von SchillingExecutive Vice President, Director, Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility, Penguin Random HouseClaire von Schilling is Executive Vice President, Director, Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility at Penguin Random House. In this global role, she oversees media relations, internal communications, branding, social responsibility, including corporate giving, and public affairs. She is focused on telling the company story and building the corporate brand with key stakeholder audiences. She was a global lead for the pre-merger communications for Penguin Random House, oversaw the development of the combined company’s brand identity, and has since initiated and launched a number of internal and external publicity and brand campaigns.

Claire joined Random House as Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications in 2011. Prior to that, she was Vice President of Corporate Communications at Sony Music, which she joined when the company was SONY BMG in 2006. She had previously worked in Corporate Communications at Bertelsmann, the majority shareholder of Penguin Random House. Claire started her career in Washington, DC handling Public and Government Affairs and Corporate Foundation management at a division of Ford Motor Company at the time, Mazda North American Operations. Claire holds a graduate degree from Johns Hopkins University. She lives just outside of New York City with her husband and son.