Stephen has worked in publishing for more than thirty years, and during that time he developed a strong interest in leadership across the broader creative industries – one of the most successful and fastest growing sectors in the UK. 

With a background in commercial functions, for the last twenty years he has been Chief Executive, now Chair, of Faber & Faber (faber.co.uk), one of the world’s leading independent publishers. He has a deep love of the Arts, and especially of literature and reading, and is also a drummer.  

With a reputation for commercial innovation and strategic leadership, both for the companies he has led and for the wider publishing industry, Stephen has broad board experience as a non-executive director of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, and as a Trustee for a number of charities. For several years he chaired a social enterprise, Creative Access, and is a board member of the Creative Industries Council (a Government and Industry Council) where he chairs the Education and Skills Working Group. In 2021 he was awarded an OBE for his work in support of the publishing industry. 

In 2022, Stephen undertook the Meyler Campbell Mastered Programme, which is accredited internationally by The Association of Coaching, qualifying with a High Distinction for his thesis.