Announcing a number of changes to the Booksellers Association team for 2022
 
Naomi Gane will be leaving the BA as Conference & Events Manager after fifteen years, with Rowan Mansell to take over the role from this month.
 
Membership Manager Pippa Halpin will be going on maternity leave from mid-February, with her role to be covered by Kate Gunning, formerly of Penguin Random House, Foyles and Waterstones. Laura McCormack, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, will also be going on maternity leave in March, with the BA currently seeking her maternity cover.
 
In a separate development, and in addition to the appointments of Gunning and Mansell, the BA has announced that Sheila O’Reilly, former owner of Dulwich Books, bookseller mentor and founder of Dingle Literary Festival, will head-up the upcoming BA Learning project, a professional development platform for booksellers due to launch later in the year, as a part-time freelance consultant.

Meryl Halls, Managing Director at The Booksellers Association said: “We have a number of exciting projects lined up in 2022 to showcase booksellers and their incredible work, and we are pleased to be reframing the BA team to support these initiatives. Naomi will be greatly missed by everyone at the BA and throughout the trade, but we are delighted to have Rowan join the team. We also look forward to welcoming Kate as cover while Pippa is on maternity leave, and are lucky to have Sheila bring all the necessary experience and skills to develop BA Learning as she heads up that project as a freelance consultant.”

Kate Gunning, Membership Manager (maternity cover) at the BA commented: “Throughout my time in bookselling and publishing, I always worked very closely with the brilliant team at the BA and admired and valued hugely the work they do for their members - never more so than over the past 20 months. So imagine how thrilled I am to be joining them to work as their Membership Manager whilst Pippa is on maternity leave. I look forward very much to providing guidance and support to members; I can't wait to get started.”

Rowan Mansell, Conference & Events Manager at the BA said of joining the team: “I have been working in events for the last four and a half years, coordinating and leading leadership/governor events for schools in Hertfordshire. Providing key training, conferences and networking opportunities to support schools in keeping up to date with educational trends as well as societal trends/advances.  I am really looking forward to begin a new journey with BA and become a part of the team to continue the incredible event management that takes place!”

Further details of the BA Learning project will be shared at The London Book Fair, taking place in April 2022.