Industry Leaders

Elamin Abdelmahmoud is a Sudanese Canadian writer, culture and politics commentator, and podcast host based in Toronto, Ontario. He is the host of CBC Radio’s daily arts, pop culture and entertainment show COMMOTION, and a former writer for BuzzFeed News. His work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, Maclean's, Rolling Stone and others. Elamin is the author of Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces, a number one national bestseller, a Globe 100 book, and a New York Times notable book.

Juan Pablo Alperin is an Associate Professor in the Publishing Program, the Associate Director of Research for the Public Knowledge Project, and the co-director of the Scholarly Communications Lab. He is a multi-disciplinary scholar who uses a combination of computational techniques and traditional qualitative methods to investigate ways of raising the scientific quality, global impact, and public use of scholarly work. He is an established scholar in both the open access and altmetrics (social media metrics) communities. He teaches the Technology seminar course for the MPub (Technology and the Evolving Forms of Publishing), and an undergraduate course on the topic of scientific journals and public knowledge.

Hilary Atleo is the co-owner of Iron Dog Books, a independent bookstore located in the Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood of Vancouver. Hilary is Anishinaabe from Curve Lake, Ontario but now spends more time in her husband Cliff Atleo's Nuu Chah Nulth territories on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Hilary believes books should be available and accessible and that bookshops are fundamentally place-making.

Shashi Bhat is the author of the forthcoming story collection Death by a Thousand Cuts (McClelland & Stewart/Penguin Random House Canada), and the novels The Most Precious Substance on Earth (M&S/Grand Central), a finalist for the 2022 Governor General's Award for fiction, and The Family Took Shape (Cormorant), a finalist for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award. Her fiction has won the Writers’ Trust/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize and been shortlisted for a National Magazine Award and the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award, and has appeared in publications across North America, including Hazlitt, The New Quarterly, The Fiddlehead, The Malahat Review, Best Canadian Stories, The Journey Prize Stories, and others. Shashi lives in New Westminster, BC, where she is the editor-in-chief of EVENT magazine and teaches creative writing at Douglas College.

Jamie Broadhurst is the VP of Marketing for Raincoast Books, the Canadian distribution partner for some leading publishers from around the world. Broadhurst was educated at the University of Toronto and is an Adjunct and Visiting Professor for the Publishing Program at Simon Fraser University. He has worked in the publishing industry for 20 years, first as a bookseller, then on to Macmillan Canada, John Wiley & Sons and Douglas & Macintyre, before finally joining Raincoast in 2004 where he now heads the marketing department. Broadhurst is the former president of the national Word on the Street organization, a member of the National Reading Campaign and currently is a director of the Vancouver Public Library Foundation.

Cevin Bryerman is the CEO and Publisher of Publishers Weekly. He has been with PW for 30 years and has led the international expansion of the magazine, which now has editions in Arabic and Spanish. In addition, Bryerman has launched international Show Daily publications with the London Book Fair, Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Frankfurt International Book Fair, and Guadalajara International Book Fair. And with the retirement of BookExpo, Bryerman is overseeing PW’s U.S. Book Show.

Jeremy Cammy is the VP of Marketing at Simon& Schuster Canada. He is a seasoned marketing professional renowned for orchestrating extraordinary gatherings in the publishing realm. A remarkable portfolio including hosting icons like Bruce Springsteen and Hillary Clinton, Margaret Atwood and Amy Poehler, Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem. Cammy is Hollywood North. He has shared the stage and interviewed hundreds of authors and culture makers including Dolly Parton, Bryan Cranston, Jim Carrey, Stephen King, Geddy Lee. Cammy not only builds community, he constantly has his finger on the pulse of the community.

Anita Chong is Executive Editor at McClelland & Stewart, where she acquires and edits fiction and memoir, with a particular interest in traditionally underrepresented voices. Recent acclaimed publications include Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton’s Birnam Wood; Souvankham Thammavongsa’s How to Pronounce Knife, winner of the Giller Prize and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award; Tsering Yangzom Lama’s We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies, a finalist for the Giller Prize and longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction; Alexander MacLeod’s Animal Person; Michael Christie’s Greenwood; and the graphic novel adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Anita also manages the Journey Prize for emerging Canadian writers.

Kevin Chong is the author of seven books of fiction and nonfiction, most recently the novel The Double Life of Benson Yu, which was a finalist for the 2023 Scotiabank Giller Prize and named a Best Book of Canadian Fiction by the CBC. His creative nonfiction and journalism have recently appeared in TimeMagazine, Literary Hub, Montecristo, and the Globe and Mail. An associate professor at UBC Okanagan, he lives in Vancouver with his family.

Jon Festinger, Q.C. (LL.B., B.C.L. 1980 McGill University) is a Vancouver, British Columbia based counsel and educator. He is an SFU Professor of Professional Practice and a faculty member of the Centre for Digital Media (http://thecdm.ca). Jon has taught media, entertainment and communications law topics at the law school at UBC, now known as the Allard School of Law, for over two decades, as well as teaching at various times at the UBC Graduate School of Journalism, the Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law, and the University of Victoria Faculty of Law.

Cynara Geissler (she/her) is the Director of Marketing and Publicity at Arsenal Pulp Press. She’s a graduate of The University of Winnipeg (BA English Honours, BA Creative Writing, BA German), where she co-edited four issues of Juice (the U of W's creative writing journal, published annually) during her time as a student. She attended the Master of Publishing Program at Simon Fraser University from 2009-2010. Cynara has given key notes and led professional development sessions at literary festivals and publishing industry conferences including the FOLD (Festival of Literary Diversity), Humber College’s Book Summit, and Book Net Canada’s Tech Forum. She sits on the Board of Books BC, is a recurring guest speaker in SFU's Master of Publishing Program, and an ongoing ACP (Association of Canadian Publishers) mentor to junior publicists in the areas of marketing, publicity, and author care.

Kevin Hanson is the President and Publisher of Simon & Schuster Canada. He joined the company as President in 2005 and in 2013 also named the company’s first Canadian publisher. He is responsible for all of the publishing, sales, marketing, financial, and operations activities of Simon & Schuster Canada, which is also the exclusive distributor in Canada of the book and audio products of both Simon & Schuster and Simon & Schuster UK, as well as for Simon & Schuster’s roster of US distribution clients.

Robyn Harding is the author of several bestselling novels including The Party, Her Pretty Face, The Arrangement, The Perfect Family, and the #1 bestseller THE SWAP. Her most recent bestseller, The Drowning Woman, has been optioned for television by Lionsgate Films. She has also written and executive produced an independent film. Her next novel, The Haters, will be on sale July 2nd. Robyn lives in Vancouver with her husband and two cute but deadly rescue chihuahuas.

Samantha Haywood is President of the Transatlantic Agency. She has extensive experience selling authors in North America for publication and TV/film representation. She launched her client list with Transatlantic Agency in 2004 after working in the international rights departments of Random House of Canada Ltd and WCA Ltd. Samantha represents a diverse and vibrant client list of novelists, memoirists, investigative journalists, graphic novelists, cookbook authors and thought leaders. Samantha represents international rights for the renowned publisher, Drawn & Quarterly. She is also a founding member and former President of PACLA, the Professional Association of Canadian Literary Agents.

Sarah Howland is the Imprint Sales Director for McClelland & Stewart and its imprints Signal and Strange Light. Prior to joining Penguin Random House Canada in 2014, Sarah completed a Masters Degree from the University of Edinburgh. She loves reading books, talking books, and solving book-related problems.

Rania Husseini is Senior Vice President of Print at Indigo Books & Music. Rania creates and implements the vision, strategy and direction for the overall Print business within Indigo stores and online. She is responsible for finding creative and innovative ways to grow and support overall brand objectives for the Print business and acts as an advocate for the customer by placing them at the forefront of all assortment and curation decisions. Rania has an extensive background in bookselling and most recently was the Vice President of Retail Customer Experience and Operations at Indigo Books & Music.

Jack Illingworth is the Executive Director of the Association of Canadian Publishers. A resident of Toronto and Neebing, Ontario, he has previously held senior roles with the Ontario Arts Council and the Literary Press Group of Canada.

Daniel Kalla was born, raised, and still residing in Vancouver. He is an Emergency Room Physician, a clinical professor at the University of British Columbia, and the bestselling author of fourteen novels, which have been translated into twelve languages to date. He has written multiple science thrillers and or medical mysteries, delving into themes and topics as diverse as superbugs, the opioid crisis, prions, DNA evidence, pandemics, vaccine hesitancy, online body shaming, and patient abuse. He has also written three historical novels about the incredible cosmopolitan city of Shanghai and the 20,000 German Jews who escaped there in WWII. His latest novel, HIGH SOCIETY, is a psychological thriller and complex whodunnit that explores the exciting and emerging potential of psychedelics in treating mental health disorders and addiction.

Jen Sookfong Lee was born and raised in Vancouver’s East Side, and she now lives with her son in North Burnaby. Her books include Superfan, named a Best Book of 2023 by the Globe and Mail and Apple Books, The Conjoined, nominated for International Dublin Literary Award and a finalist for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, The Shadow List, and Finding Home. Jen acquires and edits for ECW Press and co-hosts the literary podcast Can’t Lit.

Ruth Linka has worked for various publishers in Western Canada, including Raincoast Books and NeWest Press. In 2001 Ruth co-founded Brindle & Glass which was awarded Emerging Publisher of the Year at the 2003 Alberta Book Awards. In 2014 Ruth moved to Orca Book Publishers, where she is the Associate Publisher and part-owner. Currently she serves on the Association of Canadian Publishers board. Orca Book Publishers publishes excellent books for children.

Hannah McGregor is an Associate Professor of Publishing at Simon Fraser University, where their research and teaching focus on the intersection of publishing and social change. McGregor is the co-director of the Amplify Podcast Network and the creator of its pilot podcast, Secret Feminist Agenda. 

Tim Middleton is a Product Manager & Retailer Liaison at BookNet Canada, where he has been an industry observer for 17 years. Tim came to BookNet all those years ago with a passion for the cultural industries, startup culture, entrepreneurial enterprises, and technology ignited by a varied career in retail and consumer research. All things to do with the word remains his first and true love.

Zoe Mix is a Métis multidisciplinary artist from Tacoma, Washington. She is a recent graduate of the Master of Publishing program at Simon Fraser University with a focus on Indigenous publishing practices. Currently, Zoe is the Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Medicine Wheel Publishing. She is also Social Media Manager and Marketing Designer at Witch, Please Productions, and is currently co-producing a new show titled Making Worlds with the Witch, Please team. In her off hours Zoe is a classically trained vocalist, illustrator and writer.

Lindsay Paterson is the Editorial Director of Appetite, the food and lifestyle imprint of Penguin Random House Canada, based in Vancouver. She oversees the editorial direction of the list and acquires and edits food and lifestyle titles including those from award-winning Canadian authors such as Rosie Daykin and Anna Olson, bestselling brands such as Mandy's Gourmet Salads, and the Canadian editions of international authors such as Jamie Oliver.

Deanna Reder is a Cree-Métis associate professor of English and the Chair of Indigenous Studies at Simon Fraser University. Reder was elected a member of the College of New Scholars of the Royal Society of Canada in 2018. As a faculty member at Simon Fraser University, she was a founding member of the Indigenous Literary Studies Association (ILSA) and served on the council from 2015 to 2018. In 2019 she helped establish the Indigenous Editors Association (IEA) and served as its "Past-President" from 2020 to 2021.

Nadine Ryan (she/her) is a shíshálh (Sechelt Nation) and settler editor, writer, and visual artist from shíshálh and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh swiya (Sechelt and Squamish lands), located on the west coast of Canada. Currently, she is working as the Executive Director for the Indigenous Editors Association, where she and her colleagues are continuing to build the organization’s structures and expand its programming in ways that reflect their values and cultures. Alongside her work, Nadine enjoys freelance editing and writing projects, practicing photography, and walking as a mode of research. And she is interested in exploring other ways of doing scholarship and arts administration; ways that are guided by Indigenous thinking and storytelling.

Jasmine Sealy is a Barbadian-Canadian writer. She is a graduate of the MFA program at the UBC School of Creative Writing where she won the 2020 UBC/HarperCollinsCanada Best New Fiction Prize. Her short fiction has been included in Best Canadian Stories and the Journey Prize anthology. Her debut novel The Island of Forgetting was published in 2022. It won the Amazon Canada First Novel Award.

Stephanie Sinclair is the Publisher of McClelland & Stewart. She is a Cree, Ojibwe, and German/Jewish settler. She has worked for more than twenty years in the performing and creative arts, and from 2012-2022 in literary management. She began that work at Transatlantic Agency in 2012, where she rose through the ranks to senior agent, representing literary fiction and non-fiction with a focus on Indigenous creators and political engagement, and additionally helped manage translation rights programs for Page Two Books and Drawn & Quarterly. Her authors were acknowledged by virtually every awards jury in the country, including the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Griffin Poetry Prize, the Governor General’s Award, the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction, the LAMBDA Awards, the Toronto Book Award, and many others. In 2020, Stephanie joined CookeMcDermid Literary Management, and found even more success—becoming the #1 ranked agent in the country in both fiction and non-fiction, according to Publisher’s Marketplace. Through it all, she has been a fierce advocate and activist, serving as a mentor and curator, and organizing publishing events to challenge colonial practices in publishing and to advance the work of reconciliation.

Rachel Taylor is a freelance editor and a founding member of the Indigenous Editors Association. Her interests include autobiography, short fiction, and scholarly nonfiction, and she is known for her work with stories by and for Indigenous people. She holds a BA (Philosophy) and an MPub from Simon Fraser University. Her article “Gathering Knowledges to Inform Best Practices in Indigenous Publishing,” based on her graduate research in the MPub, was published in ARIEL: A Review of International English Literature. She is a contributor to the forthcoming updated edition of "Elements of Indigenous Style" by the late Dr. Gregory Younging. Rachel is Iñupiaq (Alaskan Native) on her mother’s side and settler on her father’s. Born and raised in unceded Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan territories, today she lives as an uninvited guest in the beautiful homelands of the Stz’uminus. You can learn more about Rachel at her website, banoong.ca.

Sarah Tutty has over ten years of experience in the book publishing and book retail space. She is currently the Head of Insights and Strategic Business Development for Penguin Random House Canada, where she has worked for the past six years. In her position, she oversees data science, business intelligence, consumer segmentation, and business development strategy. Prior to this, she led content sales management globally for Rakuten Kobo, the world's largest dedicated eBook retailer; and cut her teeth on book data during her research internship with Booknet Canada. In her spare time, she enjoys reading (naturally), travelling, and attending live events.