Indian American Nihar Malaviya Named Interim CEO of Penguin Random House
- The publishing executive, who is the current president and chief operating officer of the publisher’s American division, will resume his new role on Jan. 1.
Nihar Malaviya has been named interim chief executive officer of Penguin Random House, the publishing house has announced. The appointment comes after the current CEO Markus Dohle, who is stepping down. The Indian American will resume the new role starting Jan. 1, 2023.
The publishing executive has been president and chief operating officer of the publisher’s American division Penguin Random House US since 2019, according to the publishing house’s website. He will report to Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe. Malaviya will also join Bertelsmann’s Group Management Committee (GMC), as well as continue to be a member of the Penguin Random House Global Executive Committee. As interim CEO, Malaviya will “lead the creation of new competitive advantages that position the global company for future growth,” the publishing house said.
He began his career at Bertelsmann in 2011 as a participant in the Bertelsmann Entrepreneurs Program. In 2003, he moved within the group to Random House, taking over several positions including president and chief operating officer in 2014. He “spearheaded the creation of a variety of industry-first capabilities in data science, supply chain, technology, and consumer insights, and led the successful operations and systems integration of Penguin and Random House—the largest-ever merger in trade book publishing,” the press release said.
Malaviya is a two-time recipient of the Bertelsmann Entrepreneur Award for Strategy Execution and serves on the Bertelsmann Technology and Data Advisory Board. He holds an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the NYU Stern School of Business, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. He is also a member of the board of Yale University Press. He resides in New Jersey with his wife and two children.