Co-Chairing Hachette UK's AgeWise Network

The AgeWise Network was set up at Hachette UK in 2018 by Lennie Goodings and Fiona McIntosh in order to promote the value of an intergenerational company and to ensure that the interests of an older and maturing workforce were properly met.

Improving diversity of all protected characteristics across publishing is long overdue and one thing is inescapably clear: everyone in our company – and in the wider industry – is going to get older. Ours is the only network that is applicable to absolutely everyone.

We have been the co-chairs for the last two years and one of the most rewarding aspects of the role is contributing to meaningful, positive change across the company and beyond. It is so important to remove the barriers and biases that can be created by age, and ensure that Hachette really does value and celebrate all generations together. Improving diversity of age at all levels in a company improves stability, experience, energy and productivity. Maintaining the flow of ideas and knowledge across generations creates a dynamic, interested workforce and one that reflects and speaks to our authors and readers. We find that older returners coming into jobs at more junior levels have chosen those positions and are more likely to stay in them for longer, providing stability as well as the experience they bring from previous roles and often from different industries.

The AgeWise Network has a diverse committee of 12, all of whom work together on our mission to support our members in a variety of ways, including working with HR to increase the number of over 50s employed at Hachette, lobbying for equal benefits, training and progression, and running an ever-popular ‘espresso mentoring’ scheme. We have also spearheaded a consumer insight project, to discover exactly what our demographic is reading, and where and how they discover books. This has been shared throughout the company, in order that the results can be embedded into our publishing.

Being co-chairs can be a challenge, but if it wasn’t then we probably wouldn’t be doing a good enough job! Lobbying and campaigning for meaningful change is never easy, and we both have busy, full-time jobs, as well as significant external responsibilities. However, it is undeniably rewarding and hugely worthwhile to see positive and lasting change – both now and for the future.

Peta Nightingale and Juliet Ewers

Find out more about working at Hachette UK

Explore current vacancies at Hachette UK