- Global executive committee


Member of the Executive Board, Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA
As CEO of Penguin Random House since July 1, 2013, Markus Dohle leads the world's largest trade book publisher, with operations in 20 countries and sales into over 100. He oversees Penguin Random House’s worldwide publishing divisions, whose more than 300 editorially independent imprints publish 15,000 new adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction titles annually in English, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. Each year, Penguin Random House sells more than 700 million print, audio and e-books across the globe.
Under Mr. Dohle, Penguin Random House’s mission is to foster a universal passion for reading by partnering with authors to help create stories and communicate ideas that inform, entertain, and inspire, and to connect them with readers across the globe. Penguin Random House’s worldwide publishing lists include more than 80 Nobel Prize laureates and hundreds of the world’s most widely read authors.
Mr. Dohle’s entire professional life has been devoted to the support and service of authors, publishers, booksellers, and readers. Before the merger of Penguin and Random House in 2013, Mr. Dohle headed Random House, where he led the company’s transition to digital publishing while maintaining its world market leadership in print books. As a combined company, Penguin Random House now has more than 100,000 new and backlist books available digitally, and over 100,000,000 eBooks were sold worldwide in 2015.
As a member of the Bertelsmann Executive Board, Mr. Dohle and his fellow Board colleagues are responsible for setting the strategic direction for one of the world’s foremost media companies. He began his career with Bertelsmann in 1994, rising quickly to several subsequent leadership positions.
Additionally, Mr. Dohle is the Immediate Past Chair of the Association of American Publishers. He also serves as Executive Vice President of the PEN Board of Trustees and as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Book Foundation and the International Advisory Committee of the Atlantic Council.


Julie Burland is the CEO of Penguin Random House Australia and New Zealand. She was appointed to this position in 2015.
Prior to this, Julie was the Director of Business Development and the Children’s Division at Random House Australia, in charge of publishing, sales, marketing and publicity. She transformed the Children’s Division into a highly successful and profitable business, while publishing books to critical acclaim.
Julie also established Random House’s Business Development department in 2007, where her role included sales to non-traditional markets, as well as the development of the export business, a successful custom publishing program and an ebook sales program.
Upon joining Random House Australia in 2000, Julie worked in Sales, eventually leading the team in 2005. During this time, she achieved record sales for, among many, Dan Brown, Christopher Paolini and brands such as MasterChef.


Núria Cabutí was appointed CEO in January 2010 of the Random House and Mondadori Spanish-language trade publishing joint venture –which was renamed Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial in November 2013, following Random House acquiring full ownership in late 2012 and the merger of Penguin and Random House July 1, 2013– after having served as Publisher and Editorial Director of its Children's and Paperback Divisions since 2003.
Núria sets the strategic direction and provides the publishing and organizational leadership for the company's operations in Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Uruguay. She has worked for Random House exclusively and continuously upon her receiving her MBA from IESE Business School in 1992, demonstrating a strong aptitude for the editorial, financial, marketing, bookselling, and media relations aspects of the book publishing business.
Under her publishing leadership, Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial has strengthened its position as one of the world's leading Spanish-language trade book publishers.


Azia Cheng (Yilin Cheng) was appointed CEO of Penguin Random House North Asia in September 2017. Prior to this, Azia was the Head of Sales at Penguin Random House China, overseeing the sales of new and backlist titles published by Penguin Random House globally.
Azia started working for Penguin China as a Sales Representative in 2008 and was promoted to the Head of Sales in 2010. During this time, she developed special sales and customized publishing programs in the Chinese market, especially in children's books. Azia also established strong branding for Penguin Random House main series and characters such as Peppa Pig, Eric Carle, Peter Rabbit, and Spot. She's been instrumental in growing international export sales in the region.


Kristin Cochrane was appointed CEO of Penguin Random House Canada in May 2018. Previously, Kristin served as President and Publisher of Penguin Random House Canada, President and Publisher of Random House of Canada, Executive Publisher of the McClelland & Stewart/Doubleday Canada Publishing Group, and Publisher of the Doubleday Canada Publishing Group. She first joined the company in 2005 as Doubleday Canada’s Associate Publisher, coming from HarperCollins Canada, where she held various senior roles in sales and marketing.
For the last three years, Kristin has appeared as one of Toronto Life magazine’s ‘50 Most Influential People,’ and she was recently featured in Canada 150 Women, a book celebrating women across business and society. Under her leadership as Publisher, the company has been honored with three of the last four Scotiabank Giller Prize wins, the Man Booker Prize, and two of their authors—Alice Munro and Kazuo Ishiguro—have won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Kristin has long served as an Adjunct Professor and an Advisory Board Member at Simon Fraser University’s Publishing Program. She graduated from Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario) with a BA in History.




Carsten Coesfeld was appointed CEO of DK in March 2020. Most recently, since January 2016, Coesfeld served as President for Telecommunications at Arvato Supply Chain Solutions. Together with his team he transformed the Telecommunications business by building partnerships with leading tech companies adding 20% topline to the overall business. Prior to that, he built the new business of revenue cycle management for hospitals and served on BFS health finance's management board, part of Arvato Financial Services Solutions.
Coesfeld began his tenure at Bertelsmann in 2011 working as a management associate for the Chief Executive Officer. In 2012, he moved to New York City to join Penguin Random House where he held a variety of business development and strategy roles throughout the organization. He started his career in the Merchant Banking Division of Goldman Sachs in London in October 2009.
Carsten Coesfeld serves on the Board of Trustees of Bertelsmann Stiftung and at the Advisory Board of Bundesvereinigung Logistik. He holds a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor's Degree from WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management.


Jim Johnston was appointed Chief Financial Officer in September 2018. In this dual global and U.S. role, Jim oversees the management and coordination of all fiscal planning, reporting, and analysis for Penguin Random House U.S. and provides financial leadership and support across all territories. During his tenure, Jim has managed several initiatives dedicated to the continuous improvement of the systems that safeguard our company assets.
Jim joined Random House in 1990 and subsequently became a valuable member of the Knopf Publishing Group, where he served as Director, Business Operations. In 2003, he was named Director of Worldwide Reporting and Planning. During the merger of Penguin and Random House, Jim guided the successful integration of the budgeting process and financial consolidation of the newly formed company.
Previously, Jim worked at Scholastic for three years. He holds a Finance degree from Pace University, and lives in Connecticut.


Nihar led the successful operations and systems integration of Penguin and Random House, the largest-ever merger in trade book publishing. He has also spearheaded the creation of a variety of industry-first capabilities—in data science, supply chain, technology, and consumer insights—which has resulted in significant core competitive advantages for Penguin Random House worldwide. Nihar joined Penguin Random House’s majority shareholder, Bertelsmann, in 2001 as part of its Bertelsmann Entrepreneurs Program. Two years later, he moved to Random House, ascending to the role of SVP, Strategy, Analytics, and Program Development in 2012, after taking on a variety of corporate roles and projects leading digital strategy, eBook pricing, implementation of vendor-managed inventory, sales reorganization, technology infrastructure consolidation, supply-chain redesign, and production vendor renegotiations. Nihar is a two-time winner of the Bertelsmann Entrepreneurial Award for Strategy Implementation, the first for navigating Random House through its digital transformation, and the second for executing the operational aspects of the Penguin Random House merger in the United States.
Nihar began his career on Wall Street, where he worked for seven years at the intersection of credit and market risk management and technology. He has an MBA in finance and marketing from the Stern School of Business and a bachelor of science in computer science, and is a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) charter holder. Nihar serves on the Bertelsmann Data and Technology Advisory Board, the University of Chicago Data Analytics for Business Professionals Industry Advisory Board, and the Yale University Press Board of Governors. He resides in New Jersey with his wife and two children.


Joanne Mallia-Barsati was appointed Vice President, Global Talent Management in January 2019. In addition to overseeing the Learning and Organizational Development team in the U.S., she is responsible for continuing to advance Penguin Random House’s efforts in attracting and developing a diverse talent pool, partnering across our international territories on talent management and development strategy.
With a pragmatic and collaborative approach, Jo and her team advise and support all aspects of talent management, inclusion, and learning and development in the U.S. and globally, delivering best-fit solutions for individuals, teams, and the organization. An accredited Associate Professional Coach with the International Coach Federation, Jo also coaches colleagues regularly to help them meet their goals and excel in their roles.
Jo joined Random House UK in 2011 to lead the Learning & Development function and moved to New York in 2014. Prior to that, Jo spent over 13 years honing her talent and learning expertise at the creative agency, Leo Burnett, and The Walt Disney Company.


Madeline serves on the Board of Directors for Poets & Writers, the nation’s largest nonprofit organization serving creative writers. She graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Fine Arts in 1991. She lives in New York with her husband and twin sons.




Manuel Sansigre was appointed Senior Vice President and Head of Global Mergers & Acquisitions in September 2017. In this role, he provides M&A, finance, and strategy support for all territories worldwide, with an emphasis on aligning different internal stakeholders’ interests with value creation. He has overseen more than ten acquisition and divestment transactions within Penguin Random House, and has worked on a broad range of projects for Penguin Random House shareholders.
Manuel joined Penguin Random House in September 2015, after having developed a strong interest in the trade-book publishing industry while working for two years as a financial advisor on the Santillana trade-business acquisition on behalf of the company’s corporate Finance and PRH Grupo Editorial teams. Since joining, Manuel has participated in all M&A transactions within Penguin Random House. From October 2016 to March 2017, Manuel also served as interim Finance & Commercial Director in Beijing for Penguin Random House North Asia, where he developed its strategic-growth business plan and helped transform its financial-reporting structure.
Fluent in several languages, Manuel worked in three investment banks across North America, Latin America, and Europe, providing M&A, strategy, and restructuring services in a variety of sectors. He started his career at IBM in its Global Technology Services division.
Manuel holds a JD in law and business administration from the Carlos III University and a Master in Advanced Finance from IE Business School, both located in Madrid. He also has a Master of Science in Business Analytics from NYU, Stern School of Business.


Divya Sawhney was appointed Senior Vice President of Global Strategy & Corporate Development in 2017. In her role, she is responsible for helping to define, develop and execute on Penguin Random House’s global strategic growth priorities and direction in partnership with the Global Senior Leadership team. In this capacity, she collaborates with publishing, sales, marketing, operations and finance teams across Penguin Random House countries to identify and evaluate growth opportunities and mobilize around key initiatives.
She has been instrumental in defining a set of global priorities, such as global development of PRH's Audio business, further enhancement of PRH’s online sales capabilities and scaling of PRH’s data and analytics capabilities around the world. She has also led regional growth initiatives to leverage PRH’s content across our businesses and shape PRH's presence in emerging markets such as China. Divya is a passionate supporter of Children’s publishing and has been instrumental in shaping PRH’s children's global strategy, including instituting a global children’s publishing forum, helping to execute key PRH acquisitions in this space and scaling them.
Divya joined PRH in 2014. Prior to joining PRH, Divya was previously with Scholastic, where she held several roles across Publishing, Foreign Rights, and Cross-Company sales and analytics as well as co-authored two books. She began her career working in literary agencies in NY and London.
Divya received her MBA from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania with a focus on Strategic Management and Marketing Operations in 2014 and a BA in English at Barnard College in 2008. She lives with her husband in New York City.


Claire joined Random House as Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications in 2011. Prior to that, she was Vice President of Corporate Communications at Sony Music, which she joined when the company was SONY BMG in 2006. She had previously worked in Corporate Communications at Bertelsmann, the majority shareholder of Penguin Random House. Claire started her career in Washington, DC handling Public and Government Affairs and Corporate Foundation management at a division of Ford Motor Company at the time, Mazda North American Operations. Claire holds a graduate degree from Johns Hopkins University. She lives just outside of New York City with her husband and son.


Luiz Schwarcz is the CEO of Companhia Das Letras, which he co-founded with his wife, Lilia Moritz Schwarca, in 1986.
The publishing house quickly took off with the publication of Edmund Wilson’s To the Finland Station, and since then it has published works by a diverse range of authors, such as Jorge Amado, Toni Morrison, and Beatrix Potter.
Luiz’s own writing includes two children’s books: My Life as a Goalie (1999) and In Search of the Encyclopaedia of Youth (2003); and two short-story collections: Elegy to Serendipity (2005) and Sign Language (2010).
In 2003, he co-founded the Paraty International Literary Festival (FLIP). Luiz served on the advisory board for the 2016—2017 Rolex Arts Initiative. The latest of his many honors includes the 2017 London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award.


Gaurav is the CEO of Penguin Random House India. He oversees the companies operations in the South Asia region publishing across adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction titles. Under Gaurav’s leadership, Penguin Random House has become the leading publisher in the region and is home to many of the region’s most widely read and beloved authors.
Gaurav joined Bertelsmann in 1999 in the highly coveted Bertelsmann Entrepreneurs Program and has held a number of senior positions across the company, having lived and worked in South East Asia, Australia, Germany, New York and China prior to being named Managing Director of Random House India in 2009 and taking over the helm of Penguin Random House India on July 1, 2013. He has worked in a number of key roles for the company including in strategy & M&A, content, new media & digital and change management building businesses from start up to scale.
Born in India in 1970, Gaurav was educated at the Lawrence School, Sanawar and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Statistics from St. Xaviers College, Mumbai and an MBA from The Melbourne Business School.


Anke Steinecke was appointed General Counsel of Penguin Random House in the US in July 2016, and named Chief Legal Officer of Penguin Random House worldwide in January 2018. In addition to leading the legal team in the US, she advises and provides legal support across territories with an emphasis on a pragmatic, collaborative, and productive approach to legal matters.
Anke is a recognized expert in First Amendment and Intellectual Property law, and she and her team counsel on all aspects of the publishing process, prepublication and content review, litigation, material transactions, including corporate and commercial contracts and M&A, licensing and intellectual property matters, finance and data protection/privacy and general corporate matters.
Previously, Anke served first as counsel for Random House Children’s Books, and then for more than 10 years for the Knopf Doubleday Group, where she handled an extensive number of complex publishing-related matters and negotiations. She has been the lead in-house attorney and advisor on mergers and acquisitions, starting with Golden Books in 2000, and more recently the trade publishing business of Santillana and Edicones B in Spain and Latin America.
Prior to joining Random House in 2000, Anke was an attorney with the law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine, where she advised book publishers and other media companies in First Amendment and Intellectual Property matters.
Anke has law degrees from the University of Munich in Germany and NYU. (LLM).

