In a memo from Kristin Cochrane to staff, the CEO of Penguin Random House Canada laid out plans to split the leadership of its children’s publishing operation, the Tundra Book Group. Under the new structure, Tara Walker, who has been Tundra publisher since 2015, will share that role with Liz Kribs, who has been promoted from associate publisher. Walker remains a VP at PRHC, while Kribs will add that title and become a member of the publisher’s leadership team.
Cochrane said the decision to split the job came after discussions about the future of Tundra among the three executives who have worked together for almost 10 years. Kribs has been with Tundra since 2000, when she was hired as an intern. Cochrane wrote that the two “bring complementary skills and perspectives.”
“To guide this new structure, Tara and Liz have developed a clear set of responsibilities, approvals, and reporting, with each of them having the space to do their best work, tied to where their skills and hearts are,” Cochrane wrote. Both will report to Cochrane.
As part of the new structure, Cochrane wrote that Walker “will continue to focus on the development of the list of picture books and illustrated titles that Tundra publishes and continue to acquire and edit books with the team of editors she’s built,” while Kribs “will shape the broader business strategy for the group.”
Under Walker’s guidance, Tundra “has been growing in dynamic ways, with commercial and critical success,” Cochrane explained. “This year alone books published by Tundra have won awards and hit significant sales thresholds,” noting for instance, that Ben Clanton's Narwhal and Jelly books have surpassed seven million copies sold.
