Bonnier Books UK Names Benton and Perdoni Co-CEOs

Taking the helm of Bonnier Books UK as Perminder Mann moves to S&S UK, Jonathan Perdoni and Sarah Benton become co-CEOs.

Jonathan Perdoni and Sarah Benton. Image: Bonnier Books UK

By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson

Zetterlund: ‘Significant, Complementary Experience and Talent’

As Publishing Perspectives readers know, the past two days have revealed the coming departure of Ian Chapman from the leadership of Simon & Shuster UK and International and the following news that Bonnier Books UK CEO Perminder Mann will start on May 1 as Chapman’s successor as CEO of Simon & Schuster International.

Today (February 19), the next shoe(s) to fall are at Bonnier Books UK, where Sarah Benton and Jonathan Perdoni have been named joint CEOs, succeeding Mann as she makes her move over to S&S UK.

Benton is the managing director of Bonnier Books’ adult trade division, and has been with the company for two years, presiding over what Bonnier’s media messaging says is “a transformation of the adult trade division, leading to more than 100-percent growth in profit, a UK TCM [total cost management] growth year-over-year, and a record year of Top 10 bestsellers across all markets.”

Perdoni has been at Bonnier Books UK for 15 years and, the company says, “has been pivotal to the transformation and growth of the UK group since taking the role of COO/CFO in 2018.

“He has spearheaded a number of vital initiatives including the overhaul and modernization of the company’s business operations, as well as steering the publisher’s industry-leading sustainability work.”

Jim Zetterlund

Jim Zetterlund, chair of Bonnier Books UK and COO/CFO of Bonnier Books internationally, says, “This exciting change of leadership is an important milestone for Bonnier Books UK and it brings me great pleasure to announce Sarah and Jonathan as joint CEOs. I look forward to this dynamic new chapter in our ambitious expansion plans for the UK business.

“Perminder was an exceptional and innovative leader during the last eight years, building the business and helping to drive it to significant growth. She’ll be greatly missed and we wish her every success in the future.

“In Sarah and Jonathan, we have a new CEO partnership that combines their significant, complementary experience and talent in ways that I know will take Bonnier Books UK to even greater heights. I am so pleased to welcome them to their new positions.”

‘To Build on the Success’

Benton says that her appointment to the new joint CEO role at Bonnier UK “comes at a time when we’re in an excellent place to build on the success of Bonnier Books UK and everything that makes it special. I’m hugely grateful to Perminder and all she has done to make the business what it is today, as well as thankful for her personal support and mentorship.

“Jon and I are excited to take the helm in the company’s 10th anniversary year, to build on its strong foundations and ensure we continue to serve our authors, creators and readers by delivering best in class publishing.”

And Perdoni says that he and Benton “bring different expertise and experience to the table, but share an understanding of what makes Bonnier Books UK great and what we can do to build on everything achieved so far. We’re committed to putting great publishing at the heart of the business and continuing to grow market share in the UK and English-language markets.

“I feel privileged to have worked alongside Perminder for more than a decade and to have seen through the business transformation with her. I look ahead to the future of Bonnier Books UK with great excitement, as we continue our UK growth plans apace, through organic opportunities and acquisitions.”

In terms of growth, the company reports that in its decade in the United Kingdom, its “footprint in the UK market” has grown by 220 percent.

Its children’s book sales, Bonnier Books UK says, grew 4 percent in 2024, a fourth successive year of some level of growth.

At its international level, based in Stockholm, Bonnier is not only in Sweden and the UK, but also in Finland, Norway, Germany, Poland, and Denmark. Bonnier’s publishing houses, the company says, sold more than 160 million books combined in 2024, achieving a reported turnover of €750 million (US$782 million).

More from Publishing Perspectives on Bonnier Books UK is here, more on Simon & Schuster UK is here, and more on the United Kingdom’s market is here.

About the Author

Porter Anderson

Porter Anderson has been named International Trade Press Journalist of the Year in London Book Fair's International Excellence Awards. He is Editor-in-Chief of Publishing Perspectives. He formerly was Associate Editor for The FutureBook at London's The Bookseller. Anderson was for more than a decade a senior producer and anchor with CNN.com, CNN International, and CNN USA. As an arts critic (Fellow, National Critics Institute), he was with The Village Voice, the Dallas Times Herald, and the Tampa Tribune, now the Tampa Bay Times. He co-founded The Hot Sheet, a newsletter for authors, which now is owned and operated by Jane Friedman.