Nicholas Byam Shaw, 90, former chairman of Macmillan publishers

[Mig.Rhodes]

Nicholas “Nicky” Byam Shaw, former Macmillan c.e.o. and chairman, has
died. Byam Shaw was a pivotal figure in the British book publishing
business, leading Macmillan for more than 30 years and also
orchestrating the sale of the publishing group to the German company
Holtzbrinck in the mid-1990s.

Past Macmillan director Adrian Soar, who worked with Byam Shaw for three
decades, described him as a man of "towering achievements", saying that
his running of the business "helped to create a publishing empire".
Holtzbrinck Publishing Group c.e.o. Stefan von Holtzbrinck said: “Nicky
was a rare leader who blended a deep intellectual curiosity with sharp
business insight."

Byam Shaw joined Macmillan in 1964 as an international sales executive,
before he became managing director from 1969 until 1990 and was made
chairman from 1990 until 1998, serving as chair of the Pan and St
Martin’s Press imprints before retiring in 1999. He also served on
Holtzbrinck’s executive and supervisory boards from 1995 for more than a
decade.

He is credited with expanding Macmillan’s reach and influence over his
30 years at the company, contributing to Nature Publishing Group,
Macmillan Education, St Martin’s Press, Pan Macmillan and Picador.
Before Macmillan he worked at Collins for eight years.

He oversaw the launch of Macmillan’s first locally managed offices in
Asia—expanding Macmillan Education and Nature into Hong Kong, Tokyo,
Delhi and Bangalore—and championed the US market. He also oversaw the
then independent’s sale to its now parent Holtzbrinck.

In a company tribute, von Holtzbrinck added of Byam Shaw: "His
leadership at Macmillan was not just about financial success but about
fostering a culture of excellence and human connection, one that
continues to define the company today. Macmillan’s reputation for
quality and innovation stands as a testament to his vision. As someone
who had the privilege of learning from him, I can personally attest to
the profound impact he had on my career and on countless others. His
legacy in the publishing world remains a lasting influence, and he will
be deeply missed.

Soar, now group commercial director for children’s publisher Nosy Crow,
wrote in his own tribute: "The formal records of a great publisher’s
life tend to leave out the human side of things. Nicky was very much a
human – one of towering achievements.

"Nicky was lured to Macmillan from his job of sales manager of Willam
Collins by Alan Maclean (brother of the spy Donald Maclean). Alan had to
leave the Foreign Office when his brother defected and became head of
the General Books department, housed in a slightly unsavoury office off
Trafalgar Square. Nicky had left the Navy after the Korean War and had
his publishing education under Billy Collins in Glasgow. He liked to
tell stories about Billy Collins coming in to open the post in the
morning.

"Harold Macmillan had retired as Prime Minister and came back to the
family firm. He wasn’t pleased with what he saw. The company was living
off past glories and had three warlords, each in charge of Trade,
Education and ‘Overseas’. The warlords didn’t speak to each other much.
Mr Macmillan saw in Nicky someone who might bring life back. Slowly in
the years following 1964 Nicky established ascendancy, and one by one
the warlords exited.

https://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/marketplace/advert/byam-shaw-notices_59126

"He was good at people, of whatever language or nationality (admittedly,
almost always men), and slowly he assembled a group of people around the
world who helped to create a publishing empire, and who brought back
life to the company, and brought back publishing inspiration—in the USA
Tom McCormack followed by John Sargent, in Australia Brian Stonier, in
Japan Yoshi Tadokoro—the list goes on.

"He didn’t always get it right, but was swift to take action when he got
it wrong. Nicky could be terrifying, but even if you were terrified you
respected and sometimes loved him—his enthusiasm, his determination and
his love for life. "

Byam Shaw died on Wednesday 25th September aged 90.

[Louis Epstein]

Post by Mig.Rhodes
Nicholas “Nicky” Byam Shaw, former Macmillan c.e.o. and chairman, has
died. Byam Shaw was a pivotal figure in the British book publishing
business, leading Macmillan for more than 30 years and also
orchestrating the sale of the publishing group to the German company
Holtzbrinck in the mid-1990s.
Past Macmillan director Adrian Soar, who worked with Byam Shaw for three
decades, described him as a man of "towering achievements", saying that
his running of the business "helped to create a publishing empire".
Holtzbrinck Publishing Group c.e.o. Stefan von Holtzbrinck said: “Nicky
was a rare leader who blended a deep intellectual curiosity with sharp
business insight."
Byam Shaw joined Macmillan in 1964 as an international sales executive,
before he became managing director from 1969 until 1990 and was made
chairman from 1990 until 1998, serving as chair of the Pan and St
Martin’s Press imprints before retiring in 1999. He also served on
Holtzbrinck’s executive and supervisory boards from 1995 for more than a
decade.

Not sure of the relative tenures between Macmillan Ltd. (holding
company) and operating companies like Macmillan & Co. and Macmillan
(Publishers).

Post by Mig.Rhodes
"Nicky was lured to Macmillan from his job of sales manager of Willam
Collins by Alan Maclean (brother of the spy Donald Maclean). Alan had to
leave the Foreign Office when his brother defected and became head of
the General Books department, housed in a slightly unsavoury office off
Trafalgar Square. Nicky had left the Navy after the Korean War and had
his publishing education under Billy Collins in Glasgow. He liked to
tell stories about Billy Collins coming in to open the post in the
morning.

Obviously not the original William Collins who started that firm in 1819.

Post by Mig.Rhodes
"Harold Macmillan had retired as Prime Minister and came back to the
family firm. He wasn’t pleased with what he saw. The company was living
off past glories and had three warlords, each in charge of Trade,
Education and ‘Overseas’. The warlords didn’t speak to each other much.
Mr Macmillan saw in Nicky someone who might bring life back. Slowly in
the years following 1964 Nicky established ascendancy, and one by one
the warlords exited.

In that era Harold took the chairmanship,but ceded that of the operating
companies to his son Maurice in 1967,and eventually that of the holding company
in 1974 at 80,taking up the (generally honorific as is the British norm)
presidency of the holding company as Maurice returned to fulltime duty
on leaving the Heath Government.

When Harold was approaching 90,it was clear that Maurice was too ill
and on the political outs with Margaret Thatcher to continue his
ambitions of being a government minister when Conservatives were in
power and a publisher when not,as had been their fallback,so Harold
at last accepted an earldom for his birthday,a month before Maurice
died in 1984.

Maurice's son Alexander became chairman of the operating company in 1980
and holding company in 1985 and inherited his grandfather's earldom in 1986,
moving to president in 1990,with Byam Shaw running the operating companies.

Post by Mig.Rhodes
Byam Shaw died on Wednesday 25th September aged 90.

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