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CBCP Symposium: People in Publishing: Diversity, Leadership and Publishing’s Futures, 29 June 2026
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Date: Monday 29th June 2026
Time: 10.00am – 5.00pm
Venue: Henley Business School, University of Reading (Whiteknights Campus)
Registration to attend the symposium has now closed.
A booklet for the symposium containing the programme schedule & short biographies of the chairs and speakers is available here.
(Please note: For standard delegates, we will charge £10 to cover a sandwich lunch, and morning & afternoon refreshments. Students & independent researchers can attend free of charge. Online attendance is also free of charge)
Schedule
10:00 – 10:05: Welcome & introductions (HBS G10)
Marrisa Joseph – Associate Professor of Organisation Studies and Business History, Henley Business School, University of Reading
10:05 – 10:35: Opening Address: “Building Diversity in the Media Industries” (HBS G10)
Joanna Abeyie MBE – Former Director of Creative Diversity BBC, Founder BlueMoon Consultancy (in person)
10:35 – 11:30: Panel: “Bridging the Gap: Academia and Industry in Dialogue on EDI in the Publishing Industry” (HBS G10)
Moderator: Fiona McLachlan, Business Relationship Manager, Knowledge Exchange & External Partnerships, University of Reading
Panel:
- Melissa Carr – Lecturer in International Human Resources Management & EDI Director at World of Work Institute, University of Reading (in person)
- Vaseem Khan – Crime Fiction author (in person)
- Emma Shercliff – Laxfield Literary Associates (in person)
11:30 –11:45: Comfort break (HBS Foyer)
11:45 – 1:00: Research Papers: “Geo-politics and Global Structures” (HBS G10)
Chair: Jack Harrington – CEO, British Academy of Management
Panel:
- Hyei Jin Kim (University of Reading) – “Who Governs the Flow of Books?: The Legacy of the Traditional Market Agreement” (in person)
- Karishma Koshal (University of Exeter) – “The Foundations of the Anglophone Trade Publishing Industry in India” (in person)
- Frances Weightman (Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing) – “Becoming a Reluctant Gatekeeper: A Case Study of the Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing” (online)
- Maria Belen Riveiro (University of Buenos Aires/University of Newcastle) – “Rethinking Bibliodiversity: the Universal Put into Question” (in person)
1:00 – 1:45: Networking lunch (HBS Foyer)
1:45 – 3:15: Lightning Talks & Research Papers Parallel Session
| Stream 1: “Commercial Approaches to Diversifying Publishing” Chair: Sophie Heywood (University of Reading) (HBS G10) |
Stream 2: “Networks & Institutional Power” Chair: Cristina De Luca (University of Reading) (HBS G04) |
| Bronwen Price (CEO Seren Books) – “Inclusive Commissioning: Dethroning the Gatekeepers” (online) | Liciane Correa (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janiero) – “The Past and Present of Freelancer Work in Book Proofreading in Brazil” (online) |
| Nicola Daly (University of Waikato) – “Indigenous publishing in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Case Study” (in person) | Amanda K. Allen (Eastern Michigan University) – “Visible Invisibility: Women’s Professional Autonomy and U.S. Children’s Publishing, 1919–1973″ (in person) |
| Agata Mrva-Montoya (University of Sydney) – “Accessibility Champions as Diversity Leaders: Driving Publishing’s Inclusive Future” (in person) | Chrissy Taylor (University of Waikato) – “Gender and Sexual Identity in Aotearoa New Zealand: Library Acquisition Policies in Relation to LGBTQIA+ Communities in New Zealand” (online) |
| Megan Farr (Bath Spa University) – “Culturally Responsive Publishing Models” (online) | Kanupriya Dhingra (BML Munjal University) – “Beyond the Publisher: How Bookstores, Bazaars, and Libraries Shape Independent Publishing in Delhi ” (online) |
3:15 – 3:30: Coffee/tea break (HBS Foyer)
3:30 – 4:30: Roundtable: “Digital Platforms and AI in the Future of Publishing” (HBS G10)
Moderator: Dominic Lees, Associate Professor in Filmmaking, Convenor of the Synthetic Media Research Network University of Reading,
Discussants:
- Basak Bak – Lecturer in Law, Copyright and AI, University of Reading (in person)
- Simon Rowberry – Associate Professor of Publishing, UCL (in person)
- Julie Cohen – Author, PhD Candidate, University of Reading (in person)
4:30 – 5:00: Keynote: “Inclusive Talent Pipelines” (HBS G10)
Katy Shaw – Director of the UKRI/AHRC Creative Communities Programme; Professor of Publishing & Writing, Northumbria University (online)
Introduced by Nicola Wilson, Professor of Book and Publishing Studies, University of Reading
5:00: Wrap up followed by an informal CBCP social/drinks (HBS G10)