Speculation over Rebuck US move

WITH GROWING SPECULATION in the US that Random House Chief Executive Peter Olson is likely to leave the company in the next few weeks, attention in the UK trade is switching to the possibility of Gail Rebuck stepping into his shoes, and who may replace her as UK CEO. Rebuck's name has been cited in several reports.

Talk of Olson (58) stepping down was rife at the London Book Fair, and on Tuesday this week the New York Times quoted an unnamed source saying: “It's just a question of working out his deal.” Olson has worked for RH parent company Bertelsmann for 20 years, and some observers have suggested that recently appointed CEO, Hartmut Ostrowski, is unhappy with the RH Group financial performance and would, anyway, prefer his own appointee running it.

In the event that Rebuck does fill the vacancy, it would seem likely that RH UK's long-serving Deputy CEO, Ian Hudson, would take her position, with Group MD Peter Bowron moving into the Deputy CEO role, causing a knockon of “musical chairs” in other positions. Random House declined to comment as PN went to press.

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