Members of the SoA have elected Dorothy Koomson, Anne Rooney, Margaret Skea and Philip Womack to join the union’s Management Committee. They will join the board after the organisation’s 2020 AGM on 19 November, when Ferdinand Dennis, former Chair David Donachie, Mary Hoffman and Philip Womack (who has been re-elected for a further term) complete their three-year terms.

The Management Committee is the SoA’s board of directors, voted for by the union’s members, and responsible for the strategic direction of the organisation.

SoA members were invited to stand for election in June and we received a record 15 nominations for four vacancies.

Welcoming the results, Chair of the Management Committee Joanne Harris said:

Dorothy, Anne, Margaret and Philip will start their terms at a crucial point in the SoA’s history. 2020 has been an extraordinary year for the organisation and for the 11,400 writers, illustrators, translators and other creative professionals we represent. 2021 will be no less of a challenge. As we begin to see the full impact of the health crisis on the incomes and wellbeing of our members, and on the industries they work in – and as those industries adapt to working outside the EU – the need has never been greater for strong union representation for every type of author at every stage of their careers. These new faces on the management committee will find themselves at the heart of that, and I very much look forward to working with them.

The Management Committee for 2020/2021 will be Simon Cann, Sam Collett, Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin, Joanne Harris (Chair), Dorothy Koomson, Abie Longstaff, Woodrow Phoenix, Anne Rooney, Katharine Quarmby, Hugh Roberts, Margaret Skea and Philip Womack.