PLOS competitors

Brian Napack is President and CEO of John Wiley and Sons (Wiley), a global research and learning company and one of the world’s leading publishers. He is the Chairman of the Association of American Publishers (AAP) which protects and promotes the central role that publishers play in enhancing culture, scholarship, education, the workforce and democracy. Brian also serves on the board of Zero-To-Three (Treasurer), a science-based advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. Prior to joining Wiley in 2017, Brian was a Senior Advisor at Providence Equity Partners, a leading investor in media, education, information, and communication. He has served as an active member on numerous boards including those of Blackboard Inc., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Burning Glass, Ascend Learning, Recorded Books, Ingram Industries, myON, EDMC, and Synergis Education. Prior to joining Providence in 2012, Brian served as president of Macmillan, the global publisher, in the U.S. from 2006 to 2012. During his tenure, he oversaw businesses in education, consumer books, digital media and magazines. Prior to Macmillan, Brian was a partner at L.E.K. Consulting, a global management consulting firm, serving as co-head of its Media and Entertainment practices and leading its Publishing and Education practices. He also founded and served as CEO of ThinkBox, an education software company focused on the early childhood market. At The Walt Disney Company, Brian founded Disney Educational Publishing and was a co-founder of Disney Interactive. He has also held senior roles at Simon & Schuster, the publishing company and at A.T. Kearney, a leading management consulting company. Brian received a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts from Middlebury College.

Thomas Rabe (born August 6, 1965, in Luxembourg) is a German business executive. In 2006, he was appointed to the Bertelsmann executive board, of which he has been chairman and chief executive officer since 2012. Under his leadership, the group has become more international, more digital and more diversified. In particular, he has advanced the business with music rights and the educational division. Additionally, Rabe was appointed chief executive officer of RTL Group in 2019.

Brian Murray is President and Chief Executive Officer of HarperCollins Publishers. Since being appointed CEO in 2008, HarperCollins has grown its revenues 50% and expanded its global footprint from operating only in English language territories to publishing in 16 languages and across 24 countries. Growth has come from organic investment in authors, imprints and new capabilities as well as acquisitions, including that of publishers Thomas Nelson and Harlequin. Under Murray’s leadership, HarperCollins has transitioned from a traditional print publishing company to a dynamic print and digital publisher with more than $350M in digital revenues derived from new and innovative business models. The company’s strategic partnerships and strong relationships with booksellers and distributors of all sizes, new start-ups and large tech platforms have been instrumental in HarperCollins’ transformation. Murray joined HarperCollins in 1997 and held several positions in the U.S. General Books Group until he was named Chief Executive Officer of HarperCollins Australia/New Zealand in 2001. In 2004, he returned to the United States as Group President. Murray is past chair of the Association of American Publishers and currently serves on the board. He has also served on the Executive Committee of the International Publishers Association, where he was actively involved in activities that protect authors’ copyrights and freedom of expression.

Mathews Chikaonda is a Group Chief Executive Officer at Apress and is based in Mathews, Virginia.