Kristin Cochrane, president and publisher of Penguin Random House Canada, has been named the company’s new CEO, effective July 1. Cochrane – recognized as one of the most powerful figures in the Canadian publishing industry – takes over from Brad Martin, who is retiring on June 30.

As CEO, Cochrane will oversee sales, finance, operations, human resources, marketing, and publicity functions. She will continue to lead PRHC’s publishing programs, while establishing the company’s long-term business strategy. In a press release, PRH CEO Markus Dohle praised Cochrane’s “impressive track record of mentoring and empowering her publishing teams.”

In a statement sent to Q&Q, Cochrane says, “I am honoured to assume this position of CEO at Penguin Random House Canada. I look forward to building upon the strong and successful foundation of our company, run by Brad Martin. I am lucky to have the best colleagues in the business and I look forward to all we can accomplish together in the years ahead.”

Cochrane’s career with PRHC began in 2005 when she joined Doubleday Canada as associate publisher, after working as a sales director at HarperCollins Canada. In June 2012, Cochrane was named executive publisher of the McClelland & Stewart Doubleday Canada Publishing Group, in charge of several imprints including Anchor Canada, Appetite by Random House, Doubleday Canada, McClelland & Stewart, and Tundra Books. Following the 2013 merger of Penguin and Random House, Cochrane was promoted to president and publisher of Random House of Canada and, in 2015, was named president and publisher of all PRHC imprints, which were brought together under a single division.

Martin began his career in 1981 as a sales representative at McClelland & Stewart. He served as president at Penguin Books Canada and CEO at Random House of Canada. In 2013, he was appointed CEO of the newly merged Penguin Random House Canada. Dohle says Martin’s “hands-on approach and deep understanding of the business has helped to ensure that our Canadian operation has delivered multiple years of record performance.”

In a statement, Martin says, “It has been a pleasure to work in publishing  for all these years. I have made many friends and have many fond memories. The company is in very good hands with Kristin and her team.”