New managing director for IOP publishing

IOP Publishing today announced the appointment of Steven Hall as the company’s new Managing Director.

Dr Robert Kirby-Harris, Chief Executive of the Institute of Physics, said: “Steven’s track record in publishing, and STM in particular, is extensive and impressive. Having started out at Macmillan Press, Steven went on to Chadwyck-Healey as Sales and Marketing Director and then Managing Director. Following ProQuest’s acquisition of Chadwyck-Healey, he was appointed Senior Vice-President, Publishing and Publisher Relations of ProQuest. He moved on in 2004 to become Journal Sales and Marketing Director for Blackwell Publishing and later Commercial Director for Wiley-Blackwell. Steven then used his considerable breadth of strategic experience to form and run his own scholarly publishing consultancy from 2008 onwards.

“Steven joins IOP Publishing at a particularly exciting time, both in terms of the company’s strategic direction and also given the challenges and opportunities facing scientific publishing. He starts his appointment as Managing Director on 5 July, which will allow time for a smooth and effective transfer of operations from Jerry Cowhig.

“Jerry Cowhig will be retiring from IOP Publishing having successfully led the company for the past 15 years, during which time he has been the driving force in building its reputation, growth and effectiveness — both commercially and also in the eyes of the scientific community — with the result that IOP Publishing is regarded as one of the world’s leading scientific publishers. He is recognised as a highly influential champion for the publishing industry, where he has played a significant worldwide representational role, including acting as Chairman of the International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers from 2005 to 2008.”

Jerry Cowhig said: “I am grateful to the Institute of Physics, and especially to its wonderful publishing staff, for the privilege and enjoyment of working with them over the past 15 years. I welcome Steven and I confidently wish him and the company a successful future.”

Additional information

The Institute of Physics

The Institute of Physics is a scientific charity devoted to increasing the practice, understanding and application of physics. It has a worldwide membership of more than 36,000 and is a leading communicator of physics-related science to all audiences, from specialists through to government and the general public. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is a world leader in scientific publishing and the electronic dissemination of physics. Go to www.iop.org .