After a six-month search, Simon & Schuster has appointed Greg Greeley CEO, taking over the reins from Jonthan Karp, who announced his plan to step down in late August.
Though Greeley, who started at S&S today, has worked at several major companies over the course of his career, his most relevant experience is the 19 years he spent at Amazon where he served in various capacities.
After serving in several finance roles at Amazon, Greeley was appointed Amazon’s VP for worldwide media categories in 2004, serving in the role for three years. During that period he oversaw Amazon's Back in Print initiative and its 2007 purchase of Brilliance Audio. He also oversaw the launch of CreateSpace, Amazon's entry into the print-on-demand and self publishing markets.
From 2007 to 2012 Greeley was VP of Amazon's European consumer businesses, where, among other initiatives, he oversaw the purchase of U.K. e-tailer the Book Depository in 2011 and the rollout of Amazon's digital programs in Europe.
In the S&S announcement of Greeley's appointment, the company pointed to other programs he we was involved with, including helping to create and launch Amazon Prime as well as reader discovery programs for Prime members, including First Reads, Prime Reading, and Audible spoken-word offerings that expanded discovery for authors and readers.
Greeley left Amazon in 2018 and served as president of Airbnb’s Homes business, overseeing the company’s global marketplace, and later served as president and COO of lab automation company Opentrons. Most recently, he has served as an investor and advisor to a range of technology and consumer companies.
“Greg Greeley is a talented and strategic leader with wide-ranging experience managing enterprises across physical and digital markets," said Richard Sarnoff, chairman of S&S’s board of directors, in a statement. "His depth of expertise and avid love of books give us the confidence that he is the right CEO to take Simon & Schuster forward as it begins its next 100 years."
Greeley is reported to be a big reader, something that impressed the man he replaced. Karp called Greeley "a transformative CEO and the best person to take Simon & Schuster to the next level while ensuring we keep books and their authors at the heart of everything we do."
In his prepared remarks, Greeley said he was "honored" to take over the role S&S has played in "sharing and shaping human culture through books." He continued: "The opportunity to support authors’ careers and help their stories and ideas travel widely and take root across formats, markets, and generations is deeply compelling.”
As word of Greeley's appointment has spread, initial reaction among agents and other industry members is one of relief that the long search for a new CEO is finally over coupled with curiosity about how his time at Amazon will factor into his approach to the role.
It's also clear that Greeley is a different type of CEO than Karp, who moved into the top spot from the editorial ranks and lacked the international and technology background that Greeley brings to his new job.
