John Wiley & Sons, Inc., today announced the appointment of Mark Allin as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective May 1, 2015.
In this new role, Mr. Allin will continue to report to Steve Smith, President and CEO, and have strategic and operational responsibility for Wiley’s three businesses. Mr. Allin previously served as Executive Vice President, Professional Development.
“As head of Wiley’s Professional Development business, Mark has quickly and thoughtfully reshaped and reinvigorated the former Professional Trade business in response to rapidly changing market conditions,” said Steve Smith, President and CEO. “He has been the primary architect of Wiley’s strategy to refocus the business on the career lifecycle needs of our professional customers. He brought new talent and high-growth businesses to Wiley through important acquisitions, including CrossKnowledge, Profiles International, Inscape, ELS/CPAexcel, and Elan Guides. He divested underperforming consumer publishing assets. Finally, he restructured and reorganized the business, greatly improving segment profitability in the process and re-allocating resources to high-growth areas.”
“I am honored to have the opportunity to contribute to Wiley in this new role. For the last 14 years I have been inspired and humbled by the remarkable creativity, passion, and dedication of our colleagues around the globe. I am committed to contributing to this outstanding company’s continued success as we evolve our business, while staying true to our enduring values of integrity, trust, and the highest standards of professionalism” said Mr. Allin.
Mr. Allin joined Wiley with the acquisition of Capstone in 2000 (where he was co-founder), after holding numerous senior positions at Blackwell, Simon & Schuster, and Pearson. In 2003, he became Vice President and Managing Director, Wiley Asia, providing him with extensive experience across all three Wiley businesses. In 2010, Mr. Allin was promoted to Senior Vice President, Professional Development.
Said Mr. Smith: “Mark is widely respected for his leadership across the organization. He brings energy, strategic focus, and a proven track-record as an agent for positive change. I look forward to collaborating with him as we continue to write the next chapter in Wiley’s remarkable history.”