The Team

Amanda Ridout

CEO and Founder

Most recently CEO of Head of Zeus which was named Independent Publisher of the Year in 2017 – after just five years in existence. Previously MD of Phaidon, HarperCollins and Headline she has 35 years of experience in independent and corporate publishing.

Caroline Ridding

Publisher

Previously Publisher at Aria and before that at Avon, HarperCollins. In both roles she launched many bestselling author careers and drove both imprints to considerable commercial success. Previously she was the Book Buyer at Tesco.

Nia Beynon

Publishing / Sales & Marketing Director

Previously Head of Digital Publishing, HQ at HarperCollins where she ran the digital-first imprint, HQ Digital. Previously Digital Sales Director at Head of Zeus where she was part of the team that won Independent Publisher of the Year in 2017. She was named a Bookseller Rising Star in 2020.

Sarah Ritherdon

Publishing Director

Previously Publishing Director at Aria, and before that at HarperCollins. She has a track record of launching many bestselling author brands.

Isobel Akenhead

Publishing Director

Previously Associate Publisher at Bookouture, publishing many international bestselling authors including Rona Halsall, Kate Hewitt and Suzanne Kelman.  Before that she was a merchandiser for the ebook retailer Kobo, developing their UK business successfully over several years.

Emily Ruston

Publishing Director

Previously working as a freelance editor Emily Ruston began her career at Harlequin Mills & Boon and has continued to edit for nearly all the major publishing houses, digital start-ups and self-published authors.  She has edited numerous Amazon and Sunday Times bestsellers.

Emily Yau

Editorial Director

Emily has been a commercial fiction Editorial Director at Quercus and Ebury, publishing books that became Sunday Times Bestsellers, Richard and Judy picks and Netflix TV series, including The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary. Most recently she was a freelance editor whilst also working as a UX designer in the video gaming world. She was named a Bookseller Rising Star in 2017.

Rachel Faulkner-Willcocks

Editorial Director

Rachel has previously been Editorial Director of Aria and a senior editor at Avon, driving their acquisition and backlist strategies for commercial fiction. She has published numerous bestsellers in the women’s fiction genre including Lorna Cook and Philippa Ashley, and in the crime and thriller genre, including Scott Mariani and Mel Sherratt.

Francesca Best

Editorial Director

In her previous role as Editorial Director at Transworld, Francesca drove the strategy for commercial general fiction and published numerous Sunday Times bestselling authors including Sophie Kinsella, Trisha Ashley, Val Wood, Danielle Steel and Cathy Bramley. She also published Kindle Number One bestsellers by Jo Thomas and Hazel Prior. Before that, she worked on women’s fiction and crime at Hodder & Stoughton and authors including Jojo Moyes, Jodi Picoult and Peter Robinson. She was named a Bookseller Rising Star in 2018.

Megan Haslam

Editorial Director

Previously an Editor for 15 years at Harlequin Mills & Boon, she has experience with new author development and commissioning strategic author led and inhouse developed IP projects, aswell as acquiring and managing a large author base. She has worked with a number of bestselling and award nominated authors around the world.

Victoria Britton

Editorial Director

Previously Senior Commissioning Editor for Severn House, the genre fiction imprint of Canongate Books, publishing many international bestselling authors across all genres. Before that she was Commissioning Editor at Harlequin Mills & Boon, managing a substantial portfolio of award-winning authors across all the Harlequin lists.

Emma Beswetherick

Editorial Director

Emma had worked at Mills & Boon, the Sunday Times and for a publishing agent before spending thirteen years at Piatkus, where she became Associate Publisher and published many bestselling authors. Most recently she has been writing children’s books for Oneworld.

Sue Lamprell

Editorial Project Manager

Sue has been involved in various projects since retiring from her role as a headteacher. She is delighted to be part of the editorial team at Boldwood.

Hayley Russell

Managing Editor

Previously at Troubador Publishing working closely with indie authors, Hayley has experience in managing a busy copy editing and proof reading schedule, alongside carrying out copy editing work herself. She was originally trained as a typesetter.

Leila Mauger

Head of Production

Leila has 15 years of experience working in publishing. She has produced many bestselling Children’s and Adult titles including books awarded by the British Book Design and Production Awards. Prior to joining Boldwood, she was Senior Production Manager at Nosy Crow, where she was key in advancing the Production and Operations department. Leila has a background in art and design, and in her spare time loves to sketch and paint.

Grace Cooper

Production Manager

Ben Wilson

Production Executive

Previously a publishing intern at Oldcastle Books, and a freelance editor for LBG Media. Ben studied Global Literature and Culture at the University of York.

Kathryn Smith

Production Assistant

Claire Fenby

Head of Marketing

Previously at HarperCollins where she was a founding member of One More Chapter and ran digital marketing campaigns for multiple international bestsellers. Passionate about innovative social media and community management, she received a highly commended award at the Book Marketing Society in 2020.

Jenna Houston

Senior Marketing Executive

Previously at Joffe Books where she helped to market various crime fiction bestsellers. An avid reader, she has a passion for commercial fiction and building creative marketing campaigns. She has a BA (Hons) in English Literature from York St. John and an MA in English Literature from The University of Sheffield.

Marcela Torres

Senior Marketing Executive

Previously Editorial Assistant at Chatham House as well as a freelance content creator for the Booker Prize Foundation. Marcela studied Translation at the Autonomous University of Madrid, has a passion for social media marketing and runs her own Bookstagram and BookTok pages.

Niamh Wallace

Marketing Executive

Niamh has experience working as a Digital Marketing Executive for BookMachine Creative Agency, working on marketing campaigns for clients in trade and education including Little, Brown Book Group, Bloomsbury, Barrington Stoke, The Quarto Group and more. She has an MSc in Publishing from Edinburgh Napier University and is also a content creator in her own right. You can find her creating bookish content on TikTok and Instagram at @booksarebrainfood, working most recently with The Booker Prize on creating content for their shortlist. She is a contributor to the Bookseller’s Books on BookTok column, and an active member of online book communities.

Rachel Odendaal

Marketing Executive

With a background as a librarian, Rachel has always been drawn to the world of books and possesses an extensive knowledge of commercial fiction. She has a passion for reading and creating innovative content. You can usually find her deeply in online book communities.

Isabelle Flynn

Account Manager