Founder of Dosdoce.com

Javier Celaya is founder of Dosdoce.com, a company launched in March 2004 to help the publishing & creative industries sectors understand the digital age we are living in. Throughout the years, Dosdoce.com has compiled more than 300 studies and reports on the use of new technologies in different areas of the cultural sector (content creation, business models, distribution strategies, marketing and social media plans, etc.).

For the last 20 years, Javier has been leading the set-up and launch in Spain and Latin America of innovative digital platforms such as Bookwire, Storytel, and Podimo., Javier has also advised companies such as DeMarque, RB Media, Bayard, Editis, TheCopia, Slicebooks and Benetech, among others, in their international expansion strategies.

Senior Vice President and Director of Marketing Strategy and Engagement for the Random House Publishing Group at Penguin Random House U.S.

Kristin Fassler is the senior vice president and director of marketing strategy and engagement for the Random House Publishing Group at Penguin Random House U.S. She oversees the creation and implementation of the consumer marketing, branding, and social strategies for 900 fiction and nonfiction titles annually, and supervises a staff that works on title marketing, marketing design, consumer insights, websites, and enewsletters.  With over 30 years of industry experience, Kristin has held a variety of jobs in sales, marketing, and publishing strategy, and has worked on campaigns for bestselling authors including John Grisham, Danielle Steel, Diana Gabaldon, Julia Child, Dan Brown, Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, and George R. R. Martin.

Publisher/COO, Catapult

Alyson Forbes is the Publisher and COO of Catapult, Counterpoint Press, and Soft Skull Press. A publishing operations executive with 25 years of experience in the industry, Forbes has held senior leadership roles at major publishing houses including Hachette Book Group and Penguin Random House, where she led creative teams, developed and deployed best practices surrounding marketing and advertising strategies, managed large-scale content production, and spearheaded new and more efficient creative workflows. 

Forbes continues to champion an approach to publishing that honors the craft of writing, fosters mentor-based team leadership, and is committed to publishing with care, intention, and respect for authors.

Gabrielle Gambrell joined Hachette Book Group as Senior Vice President, Chief Communications Officer in August of 2024.

She serves as a member of HBG’s Executive Management Board and oversees Hachette Speakers Bureau; branding; corporate, internal, and executive communications; media relations; strategic communications; trade fairs; HBG’s philanthropic activities and environmental program; and works closely with Hachette UK.

Gambrell comes to HBG from Amazon, where she served as Head of Communications for Inclusive Experiences and Technology, Employee Experience. Prior to that, she was Chief Marketing & Communications Officer of Barnard College of Columbia University. She managed teams across the globe as Worldwide Director of Communications and Public Relations at FCB Global, an award-winning advertising agency network. Gambrell also served as Director of Communications for NBCUniversal leading all global diversity communications, and as Manager of Communications for CBS Corporation. 

Gambrell also teaches graduate courses in integrated marketing, digital and social media, advanced public relations, media relations, corporate communications, and event planning at both Columbia University and New York University.

VP, Content Marketing and Brand Development, Simon & Schuster

Brandon Grant-Walker has built a career connecting audiences with ideas that enrich their lives. As the Vice President of Content Marketing and Brand Development at Simon & Schuster’s Corporate Marketing division, he is responsible for driving significant revenue and audience growth. He leads the teams that bring books to life through holistic strategies and creative campaigns encompassing e-commerce, website content, social media, video, trade and consumer events, multicultural marketing, partnerships, email and more.

He previously led marketing for The Moth, where he expanded its global audience and drove multi-million dollar revenue growth through podcast sales, brand sponsorships, best-selling products, and memorable experiential events. Before that, he honed his craft in magazine publishing, holding leadership roles at premier media brands including OUT, The Advocate, and DEPARTURES.

Chief Content & Publishing Officer at Storytel Group

Helena Gustafsson, the Chief Content & Publishing Officer at Storytel Group, joined the company in 2013. Beginning her tenure as CEO of Storytel's fully owned audiobook publisher, StorySide, she quickly became a key player in establishing Storytel's leading position within the industry. Her contributions extend to strategic acquisitions and partnerships that have shaped the company's trajectory, as well as the development of Storytel's original audiobook productions. Prior to her current role as a member of the Storytel Group management team, Helena Gustafsson also held significant positions within the company, including Head of Licensing and Head of Global Publishing.

NYU Faculty and Nonprofit Digital Strategist

Boris Kievsky As an adjunct faculty member at the NYU School of Professional Studies, Kievsky teaches "Communications and AI" and "Digital Storytelling for Fundraising," He also serves as a non-profit digital strategist for at dotOrgStrategy, a digital consultancy dedicated to empowering organizations through powerful storytelling and effective technology. After a decade in theater, film, and television in New York and Los Angeles—including several forgettable stints playing Russian villains—Boris "retired" from the screen to blend his two passions: storytelling and technology. Today, he focuses on helping nonprofits connect authentically with their audiences, inspire action, and create a better world for everyone.

President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Baker & Taylor

Amandeep ‘Aman’ Kochar is the president and group Chief Executive Officer of Baker & Taylor, the 196-year-old book distributor, content services, and software company. His expertise in education technology, publishing, domestic and international operations, and engineering, combined with a high-energy, results-driven approach, has helped him lead Baker & Taylor into the digital realm since joining the company in 2014. As the world’s premier distributor of physical and digital content, software, and services to public and academic libraries, B&T is uniquely positioned to make a difference in communities by helping the libraries that serve them. To help fill the representation gap, Kochar led the launch of Paw Prints Publishing in 2022, returning Baker & Taylor to its publishing roots. The publishing imprint shares stories inspiring and enlightening youth from all walks of life.

SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Hachette Book Group

Leigh Marchant is SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Hachette Book Group, where she leads the central marketing strategy team and collaborates with the publishing groups across more than 40 imprints, the sales organization, and international marketing teams at Hachette Livre.

Before joining Hachette, Marchant spent 14 years at Penguin Random House in the Random House Group division, most recently as SVP and Director of Marketing, Strategy, and Engagement, overseeing marketing and branding across all categories of fiction and nonfiction. Marchant began her career in publishing at Harcourt and has held roles in publicity, advertising, and merchandising at the Perseus Books Group, Oxford University Press, and Barnes & Noble. She holds an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a BA from Cornell University.

Editorial Director, HaperVia, New York

Juan Milà is a native of Barcelona, he went to university in the United States and had his first job in publishing in New York. After moving back to Spain, he held editorial positions at leading publishers including  Planeta, Muchnik Editores/El Aleph and Ediciones Salamandra. After returning to New York, he joined publisher Judith Curr’s team at HarperCollins in 2018 and is currently the Editorial Director of HarperVia, an imprint dedicated to publishing international authors and stories. In its first 6 years, HarperVia has published over 125 original titles, including English language originals and translations from 23 languages. Juan also acquires for the HarperCollinsEspañol list.

Head of Design and Consumer Product for Audiobooks at Spotify

Niamh Parsley, Head of Design and Consumer Product for Audiobooks at Spotify, leads the team that is reshaping the audio landscape, leveraging Spotify’s unique user advantage to help authors and publishers connect with massive new audiences. Through compelling case studies, Niamh will show how Spotify is pushing content boundaries and shaking up audio. A graduate of New York University and Parsons School of Design, Niamh has held numerous positions in strategy and design at companies including Fjord, Audible, and Flatiron Health.

VP, Editorial Director, Bramble
The Tor Publishing Group

Monique Patterson is vice president and editorial director of Bramble, an imprint of the Tor Publishing Group at Macmillan, dedicated to a wide array of romance stories for the modern reader. At Macmillan Publishers, finding books and authors that reach across the breadth of our experiences as humans is important to Patterson. Publishing a wide array of genre and genre blending fiction, and a select amount of nonfiction allows her to explore all of those experiences. Some of her upcoming titles are Blackthorn by New York Times bestselling author J. T. Geissinger, Crown of War and Shadow by #1 New York Times bestselling author J. R. Ward, and The Poet Empress by Shen Tao.

Chief Executive Officer and Publisher, Ulysses Press

Keith Riegert is the Publisher of Ulysses Press and VeloPress Books. He is also a co-founder of the book publicity and digital marketing firm Pacific & Court and the printing marketplace Perfect Bound, as well as Little, Brown Lab and Kingfisher Press. 

CEO and Head of Coaching , Staaterman Strategic Advisory

 Stacey Staaterman launched iStaaterman Strategic Advisory in 2014, and now leads a team of expert coaches and consultants. For over a decade, her firm has partnered with a diverse range of companies, from dynamic startups to industry titans like Google, Amazon, and American Express. Stacey's approach is grounded in real-world experience, having held leadership roles at iconic brands such as American Express, Time Warner, and Fast Company. She's a recognized expert in her field, featured in esteemed publications like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, and Fortune, and was named Most Innovative Coach by Business Insider in 2020.

She believes “Activating leadership is a human pursuit — requiring empathy, real-world practicality, and a sense of humor!"

Senior Business Development Manager, Publisher & Creator Partnerships, LinkedIn

Catherine Taibi leads partnerships with publishers and creators at LinkedIn, helping connect professionals to high-quality content from trusted sources. Catherine works with leading news organizations globally as well as podcasters, authors, journalists, thought leaders and executives to enable them to reach new audiences, build loyal communities and generate revenue leveraging LinkedIn’s engaging formats like video, live events and newsletters.

Prior to LinkedIn, Catherine managed partnerships with news publishers at Meta to build their content & business strategies across Facebook and Instagram. A former award-winning journalist, Catherine began her career as an editor at the Huffington Post and later went on to oversee social strategy for Bloomberg News. In 2017, she launched Bloomberg's 24/7 streaming news network where she served as Head of Social & Audience Development, creating the organic and paid strategy for the brand.

Adriana Trigiani is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-one books of fiction and nonfiction. Her work has been published in thirty-eight languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer, and filmmaker, Trigiani wrote and directed the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, adapted her novel, Very Valentine, for television, and directed the documentary, Queens of the Big Time, among others. In 2023, President Sergio Matterella of Italy awarded Trigiani the Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia. Trigiani grew up in Appalachia, in the mountains of Virginia, where she co-founded The Origin Project, a year-round, in-school writing program that has served over 25,000 students since its inception in 2014. Trigiani is proud to serve on the New York State Council on the Arts. 

Reid Welsh is Vice President, Insights & Analytics at Penguin Random House.  He joined the company in 2015 and works closely with the PRH Executive and Sales Management teams, and across all of the publishing divisions. Reid provides marketplace and strategy insights for Publishing, Sales, and Finance, and oversees the Business Intelligence program at PRH.. Prior to joining PRH, Reid worked in Corporate Marketing at Simon & Schuster and as a bookseller at the Learnèd Owl Bookshop in Hudson, Ohio. He holds a B.A. in Studio Art from St. Olaf College and a certificate in Data Science from Harvard Business School Online.

Chief Executive Officer of Macmillan Publishers

Jon Yaged is Chief Executive Officer of Macmillan Publishers. He previously served as President, Macmillan Publishers, and President & Publisher, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. During his tenure as CEO and President, Macmillan Publishers recorded the highest revenue and operating income in its history. Jon is committed to leading a company that invests in its employees by creating a culture of collaboration, mentorship, inclusion, and innovation.Jon began his publishing career at The Walt Disney Company, reaching the level of Vice President, US Publisher, Disney Book Group. He also served as Chief Operating Officer of a social media marketing company and, before joining Disney, he practiced entertainment and technology law. Jon currently serves on the Boards of the Association of American Publishers, National Coalition Against Censorship, and National Book Foundation, where he is also Treasurer.