February 5, 2025
Brian Murray, President and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers, Elected Chair, AAP Board of Directors
The Association of American Publishers announced today that its Directors have elected Brian Murray as Chair of the Board for the 2025-2026 term. Mr. Murray, who is President and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers, has been on the board since 2008. He was previously elected Chair in 2015, and served as an officer from 2014-2017. Additionally, Mr. Murray served on the executive committee of the International Publishers Association for AAP from 2011 to 2018. In 1970 HarperCollins Publishers, then known as Harper & Row, was a founding member of AAP.
The Board also elected Tyrrell Mahoney, President of Chronicle Books, to the position of Vice Chair. Ms. Mahoney has served on the AAP Board since 2019. Jeremy North, Managing Director, Books, Taylor & Francis, who has served on the Board since 2015, was re-elected as Treasurer. YS Chi, Chairman of Elsevier, and Director of Corporate Affairs for the RELX Group, will remain an officer as Immediate Past Chair.
“What a privilege to welcome Brian back to the role of Board Chair at this pivotal time for publishing,” commented Maria A. Pallante, President and CEO, AAP. “He is a highly respected leader within our community and the global publishing industry, and his deep understanding of policy issues will be of great help in the year ahead.”
“We also thank outgoing Chair YS Chi for his experienced leadership during the past year,” said Ms. Pallante. “With YS at the helm, we celebrated significant wins on copyright and freedom of expression, and robustly represented publishers of world-renown literature, cutting edge scientific research, and innovative course materials.”
“I am honored to step into the role of Chair and work alongside the exceptional AAP team and board,” said Mr. Murray. “Our dynamic and rapidly evolving industry faces complex challenges, from addressing AI copyright issues to safeguarding freedom of expression. Now more than ever, the AAP’s mission to champion outcomes that protect and incentivize creative works is critical. I am eager to work together to navigate these challenges and uphold the values we as publishers—and a society—hold dear.”
About Brian Murray
Brian Murray is President and Chief Executive Officer of HarperCollins Publishers. He joined HarperCollins in 1997 and held several positions in the U.S. General Books Group until he was named Chief Executive Officer of HarperCollins Australia/New Zealand in 2001. In 2004, he returned to the United States as Group President and was appointed global CEO in 2008.
Under Mr. Murray, HarperCollins has had a track record of innovation, leading to digital revenues accounting for more than 20% of turnover derived from new and innovative business models and digital formats. The company’s strategic partnerships and strong relationships with booksellers and distributors of all sizes, new start-ups, and large tech platforms, have been instrumental in HarperCollins’s transformation.
About AAP
AAP | The Association of American Publishers represents the leading book, journal, and education publishers in the United States on matters of law and policy, advocating for outcomes that incentivize and protect works of authorship and the creative, intellectual, and financial investments that make them possible. As essential participants in local markets and the global economy, our members invest in and inspire the exchange of ideas, transforming the world we live in one word at a time. Find us online at www.publishers.org or on Twitter and Instagram at @AmericanPublish.