Another high-ranking Penguin executive will leave Penguin Random House early in 2014. Doug Whiteman, a longtime Penguin executive who was most recently executive v-p of operations, will move Acelero Learning Inc., on January 3, as chief administrative officer.
In a memo announcing Whiteman’s plans, PRH COO Madeline McIntosh wrote: "As much as we are all sorry to see him leave after thirty great years of outstanding contributions and service, this move will not come as a surprise to the friends and colleagues who know of Doug’s longstanding philanthropic contributions.” Acelero is an early childhood education company which works to improve the delivery of Head Start services at the local level.
For a long part of his career, Whiteman was involved with sales and children's publishing and served as president of Penguin Young Readers beginning in 1997 when it was created through the combination of the Penguin and Putnam children's groups. Whiteman had held various executive spots at Putnam before it was bought by Penguin. He moved to the operations role in 2008 when Don Weisberg took over the young readers division.
Earlier this month Dick Heffernan, Penguin's president of adult hardcover and children’s sales, announced that he will retire at the end of 2013.
