Gary Urda Promoted to Senior Vice President, Sales

Colin Shields Named Vice President, Executive Director of Global Digital and International Sales

NEW YORK, November 14—Simon & Schuster announced today a new leadership team for its sales division, promoting longtime sales executives Gary Urda to Senior Vice President, Sales, and Colin Shields to Vice President, Executive Director of Global Digital and International Sales.

Urda will have overall responsibility for management of the Simon & Schuster Sales Division, with oversight of all sales areas including national accounts, retail sales, special markets, and children’s.

Shields will have responsibility for worldwide sales of Simon & Schuster books through digital channels, while also taking on management of digital audio sales and sales of Simon & Schuster’s U.S.-originated titles in the international marketplace. He will also coordinate the international sales efforts for all of Simon & Schuster’s companies worldwide.

“I am delighted and thrilled that we have two such talented and exceptional executives ready to take on more responsibility and lead Simon & Schuster’s sales team going forward,” said Carolyn Reidy.

“Gary is a truly well-rounded and versatile publishing executive. He is a superb manager and leader, and over the course of his career he has succeeded in multiple positions in sales, marketing, publishing, and business development. He has experience managing sales in nearly every channel of distribution across the full range of our in-house and distribution client publishing, and he has been instrumental in building the careers of many of our authors as well as in growing our overall business.”

“Colin is another terrific Simon & Schuster success story, having begun his career here as a marketing intern, and his new position reflects the continuing importance of sales through digital channels. Adding digital audio and our international sales group to his portfolio is a natural next step given his oft-proven ability to help us navigate the complexity of selling our books in the global marketplace.”

The creation of this new leadership team comes upon the announcement of Michael Selleck’s plan to retire as Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, at the end of the year.

“Michael has been a remarkable mainstay and leader in our business and daily life at Simon & Schuster for 33 years,” said Carolyn Reidy. “Whether working in operations, marketing, or sales, he has been enormously influential and contributed in countless ways to the successes we have enjoyed for our authors and as a company. We will surely miss him and wish him all the best in his post–Simon & Schuster life.”

Urda first joined Simon & Schuster in 1996 as Vice President, Sales Development for Pocket Books before being promoted to Vice President, Direct Sales. In 2003 he was named Vice President and Director of Distributor Sales and Retail Management (DSRM) for all of Simon & Schuster, and in 2005 he moved to Simon & Schuster’s Atria Books as Vice President, Associate Publisher before returning to the sales division as Vice President, DSRM. Urda began his career in publishing in marketing at Bantam Books, where he eventually became Vice President, Director of I.D. Sales. He has also held positions in business development at Lightning Source, Inc.

Shields first joined Simon & Schuster in 1996 as a marketing intern, and then worked in Touchstone publicity until 1999. After working as a Community Relations Manager for Barnes & Noble, Shields returned to Simon & Schuster in 2000 as a Marketing Manager for the Adult Publishing Group. In 2003 he joined the Sales division as a National Account Manager, and in 2011 was named Senior Director of the company’s newly formed Digital Sales group. In 2012 Shields was named Vice President, Director of Digital Sales before taking on the role of Vice President, Director of Global Digital and Online Sales in 2015.

 

CONTACT:

Adam Rothberg

Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications

Adam.rothberg@simonandschuster.com, 212-698-1132

 

 

Simon & Schuster, a part of CBS Corporation, is a global leader in general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages, and in all printed, digital and audio formats. Its distinguished roster of authors includes many of the world’s most popular and widely recognized writers, and winners of the most prestigious literary honors and awards. It is home to numerous well-known imprints and divisions such as Simon & Schuster, Scribner, Atria Books, Gallery Books, Pocket Books, Touchstone, Adams Media, Threshold Editions, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Simon & Schuster Audio and international companies in Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom, and proudly brings the works of its authors to readers in more than 200 countries and territories. For more information visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com

 

 

 

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