Publishing Ireland welcomes Peter McKay as new president
Peter McKay has been announced as the new president of Publishing Ireland, bringing decades of experience in the book industry to the role.
Along with several leadership positions, he was Managing Director of Thomas Nelson, one of the largest educational publishers in the UK, which was then part of the Thomson Organisation (later Thomson Reuters). After the sale of Nelson to Kluwer, he joined Derwent Information before establishing his own strategic consultancy in 2004.
Peter was instrumental in the Publishers Association, representing the organisation at the Federation of European Publishers. He served as the Chief Executive of the Publishing Training Centre and was a member of the Advisory Board of The Literary Consultancy (TLC). He is also a founding member of the Dingle Literary Festival.
Peter has got great energy and ideas and we couldn’t be in safer hands
Outgoing president Ivan O’Brien of O’Brien Press said that Publishing Ireland was very lucky to have someone of Peter’s broad experience as president.
“In a step-change for the organisation, we advertised the role outside the current industry and were delighted that he was available and willing to take on the role… It’s a challenging time for books and culture generally, both nationally and internationally. Peter has got great energy and ideas and we couldn’t be in safer hands.”
Peter said he was delighted to join the team at Publishing Ireland. “My aim is to help the organisation as it strives for a sustainable and inclusive future.”
