New Holland has announced that sadly, after
what she says have been ‘16 exhilarating years’ at the helm of the New Zealand
company, managing director Belinda Cooke has made the difficult decision to
resign from her role, and is planning a long summer sabbatical before she takes
her career in a fresh direction in 2015.
Under Belinda’s leadership, the New Zealand
business has grown from a small import-only operation when it opened in early 1998,
to the dynamic company it is today, with a very solid local publishing list of
some 200 titles and several significant international agencies.
“Belinda has been part of the international
New Holland family for close to 20 years counting her time in South Africa, and
she’s been a tireless ambassador for our business in New Zealand, and for New
Zealand in her travels overseas, so it is hard to imagine the company without
her, but we respect and support her decision, and wish her all the very best
for the future,” said New Holland’s group managing director Fiona Schultz.
New Holland’s sales administration manager
Toni Hayman has also decided to leave the company to take on new challenges,
and both she and Belinda finish up on 11 December.
“Toni has also been with New Holland for
over 15 years and has enthusiastically engaged with every area of the business
as it has developed. Her enormous efficiency and quiet professionalism will be
greatly missed by her colleagues and her customers,” said Fiona.
However, in sharing this unfortunate news,
New Holland was very pleased to be able to offer some excellent news to counter
it, and that is that following the closure of the Random House Poland Road warehouse
at the end of March 2015, New Holland’s stock and that of its agencies will
remain in New Zealand. A distribution agreement has been signed with PDL and
all orders will be processed by that company from 1 April 2015.
“We’re really happy to be able make an
ongoing commitment to the local industry by keeping our stock and distribution
in New Zealand,” said Fiona, “and PDL seems the perfect new home for us, with
their strong emphasis on customer service and their excellent reputation in the
market place.”
Bookstore trade sales will still be handled
by the very experienced team from Books r Us: Gary Shannon, Dennis Morgan and
Jeremy Bliss. PDL’s part owner, Susan Holmes of Bookreps, will begin to assist
from January with gift, specialist and head office sales.
An announcement regarding replacement roles
at New Holland will be made in the New Year.
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