Zoe will drive further growth with new and existing  partners, across Penguin Ventures’ portfolio of iconic literary children’s brands.

Penguin Ventures, the licensing team within Penguin Random House Children’s, has appointed Zoe Smith as senior category manager, UK Softlines.

She will report to commercial director, David Sprei, and will be responsible for the UK Softlines business across the portfolio of brands, including The World of Peter Rabbit, The World of The Snowman, Flower Fairies and Spot.

David Sprei said: “Zoe has a wealth of experience and is a softlines specialist. She is respected by peers and licensees and knows the UK pre-school market incredibly well. Across her previous licensing and retail roles, Zoe has developed a phenomenal grasp of the category and joins Penguin Ventures to drive further growth across new and existing partners for such an important area of the business. I’m delighted that Zoe arrives ahead of BLE and I’m excited for everyone to meet her there, in her new role.”

Zoe added: “I am thrilled to be joining the team at Penguin Ventures and to be working on such beloved, timeless brands. I have huge affection for these brands both professionally and personally, and I cannot wait to work with the amazing licensing partners, drawing on my previous experience, to further expand the already well-established business in the UK.”

Zoe Smith joined the Penguin Ventures team on 1st August and can be reached via email on ZSmith@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk