Outgoing APA CEO Michael Gordon-Smith pictured with his successor, Patrizia Di Biase-Dyson

25/06/2024

Australian Publishers Association (APA) CEO Michael Gordon-Smith has announced his retirement from the position at the end of June this year, after 11 years in the role and a career in the creative industries spanning more than 40 years.

Michael brought strategic vision, stability and growth to the Association, supporting more than 200 member companies to grow the $2 billion Australian publishing industry. 

Under his leadership, the APA saw the formation of the Books Create Australia coalition to bring the book sector together, developed Australia Reads to increase reading rates, secured long-term funding to support training and promote Australian books overseas, and delivered new sector development initiatives like the BookUp conference.

In a significant win for books and their creators, the industry successfully resisted multiple attempts to erode Australian copyright laws, preventing efforts to allow widespread use of educational publishers’ materials without permission and without payment.

Bringing TitlePage, the industry’s digital supply chain service, in-house had a major impact on the Association’s growth. TitlePage now represents 1.5 million titles from 150 publishers, and is used by more than 2,200 booksellers and libraries nationwide to get books into the hands of readers.

The next chapter for the APA

The APA Board is pleased to confirm that current APA Chief of Staff Patrizia Di Biase-Dyson will be promoted to the role of CEO, effective from 1 July 2024. Di Biase-Dyson is an experienced book industry professional with a successful track record in independent publishing, and a great champion of access initiatives like the Open Book Internship program.

APA President Julie Burland, CEO of Penguin Random House Australia and New Zealand, said of Michael's contribution to publishing:

‘Our sincere congratulations to Michael on all that he has achieved for the industry over the last decade. His continuous dedication and leadership has ensured that the Association is well-placed to tackle the industry changes ahead. With strong partnerships established, the APA can collaborate to ensure a more diverse, accessible and sustainable industry.’

Michael said of his time with the Association:

‘Publishing is an industry that matters and I'm grateful to have had the chance, with a wonderful team, to contribute to it. Strong associations make a real difference to their industry's fortunes; publishing that is supported by incisive advocacy and industry-led infrastructure will be more successful. Patty and the team are well-placed to deliver that and more. I wish them every success.’ 

Patrizia Di Biase-Dyson said of the future for the APA:

‘My profound thanks to Michael and the Board for their support of me and the brilliant team. Together we are clear in our ambition – highlight the exceptional value of educational publishers to teachers and learners, impress the urgent societal need to attract new readers, tackle the copyright risks Generative AI poses, and increase supply chain efficiency so that books can compete in the ever-evolving market. There’s a lot to be done, but we are continuing with this work from a position of real strength.’