Louise Dennys

Louise Dennys, whose career in the Canadian publishing industry spans five decades, will be stepping down from her role as executive publisher and executive vice-president at Penguin Random House Canada at the end of December.

In an announcement sent out on December 20, PRHC CEO Kristin Cochrane said that Dennys will be moving into the new role of publisher emerita at PRHC.

“While this change allows time for [Dennys] to embrace other passions, she will remain close to Penguin Random House Canada—an ambassador and advocate for our authors and our great publishing work here and around the world,” Cochrane wrote.

Dennys began working in the book business as a bookseller in London before she moved to Toronto, where she launched her own publishing house before joining Lester & Orpen, which was renamed Lester & Orpen Dennys. In 1991, Alfred A. Knopf publisher Sonny Mehta invited her to create Knopf Canada, which she launched in 1992. She was named executive vice-president in 1999.