Stephen began his working life as a Chartered Accountant, worked in a variety of industries in Asia and in the UK, and joined the Press in 1997, becoming Chief Executive in 2002. He has steered the Press through momentous changes in the publishing industry.
Under Stephen’s leadership, the Press has embraced new technologies; grown substantially a publishing business that was already world-renowned for its high quality; committed significant resources to the developing world; and changed the Press’s staff profile to support innovation, including a major restructure of the Press Board, announced in December 2011.
Stephen’s own passions and interests have also shaped the Press’s activities. His commitment to culture and the arts, his background in the printing industry, his education and early work in Africa and Asia, and his commitment to high standards in business and ethics have seen him take on public positions with the CBI (as its current East of England Chairman) and Business in the Community (as the Prince of Wales’ Ambassador for the East of England in 2009).
The Press Syndicate, made up of 18 senior academics from the University of Cambridge who govern the Press, will immediately begin the process of selecting Stephen’s successor.
Stephen will stand down as Chief Executive at the end of April; he has then accepted an invitation to become President of Cambridge University Press for a further period, focusing on international relations and helping the new management team with a range of transitional matters.
Stephen said: “Those who know me well will recognise that this is a momentous step for me, having built my life around the Press for the past 15 years. I have treasured every one of those years and will always do so. Cambridge University Press stands out as the very finest of the several organisations in my business career, and I have my colleagues and our splendid Syndics to thank for that.
“I look forward to continuing to work with them in achieving a smooth transition to a new model by which the Press will continue its remarkable balancing act between prosperity and outstanding service to a global public.”
