“I have such a close relationship with Edinburgh Napier and it is great to be able to help students and alumni. The ENU alumni community is very important. Graduates, make sure that you keep that contact going. There are many employers who have gone to ENU, know how wonderful it is and look to employ Edinburgh Napier graduates.”
With a love of books and reading, Gillian had always been attracted to the idea of working in publishing. However, unsure of what area in particular she wanted to work in, she’s grateful to the BA Publishing course for giving her a broad introduction to the industry. From learning the academic theory to being taught how printing presses work and how to do type setting, the course offered many new experiences. Gillian’s class even took a trip to Toronto to see how publishing was done on the other side of the world!
“Having a degree from Edinburgh Napier is a massive step in the door because of the University’s links with industry. As an employer, you know ENU graduates will have knowledge other graduates won’t have. They’re very aware of how things work before they start a job which means I don’t have to spend as long training them.”
Gillian worked at a local bookshop throughout her studies due to a piece of advice given to her when she attended the University’s Open Day. Alistair McCleery, head of department at the time, told her to try and get a part-time job that’s connected to the course because it shows that you have an interest in the subject.
After graduating in 1992 Gillian immediately got a job. She was an editorial assistant at Chambers Harrap Publishers and worked on the Chambers English Dictionary.
Unfortunately, Gillian’s biggest career challenge came during this period. Only five months into the role the company started to outsource and offshore a lot of the publishing work. Gillian was made redundant.
Publishing is a very small community and the daughter of Gillian’s boss at Chambers also worked in the industry. Through her, Gillian was able to get a job as a receptionist at Blackwell Scientific Publications. She remained at the company for 20 years and worked her way up to Senior Production Manager.
“I worked on their medical journals and managed all the medical production editors globally – including UK, Berlin, Singapore and some in the US.
“I loved what I did. I loved the people and I got to travel around the world. There was no reason for me to leave. Now people are changing jobs more often, but that’s because there is more choice. That is a positive thing.
“Take any internship that is available because you never know where it’s going to lead. Even if it’s only for three or six months, it’s really valuable to get job experience and it looks great on your CV."
After two happy decades at Blackwell, Gillian faced another career upheaval. The company was shutting down its Edinburgh office and moving operations to Oxford and overseas. However, a serendipitous encounter opened up the next chapter of her career.
Gillian was volunteering at an event at her child’s school. She got talking to another parent who happened to be the owner of the Witherby Publishing Group and discovered they were looking to hire a publishing manager.
Witherby Publishing Group is the oldest independent publisher in the English-speaking world – they celebrated their 280th birthday in 2020!
Based in Livingston, Witherby publishes operational guidance and technical standards for the shipping industry. Gillian joined them in 2012 as a publishing manager and became Managing Director in 2017.
“It’s such a wonderful company to work for. I’m so proud of what we do as a publishing company and as an employer. To be made Managing Director was really special and meant a lot. I couldn’t work with a better bunch of folk.
“I’m also proud of the books that we publish. We work with all of the large shipping industry bodies around the world. It is very global. We export to 120 countries around the world."
Gillian is passionate about developing the young workforce and one way she does this is by partnering with Edinburgh Napier. Throughout her career she has provided work experience and employment opportunities for ENU graduates. Gillian also regularly returns to the University to share her insights with students.
“Witherby Publishing is quite niche so not a lot of people know about us, but we’re actually one of the largest and most successful publishers in Scotland. I was keen to do more to get our name known by those about to enter the industry.
"We’re very dedicated to supporting the future of publishing in Scotland. We’ve recruited many Edinburgh Napier students since I’ve been at Witherby. Quite a few of them are still with us today as they've moved from an intern to a permanent member of staff."
Gillian helped found the Edinburgh Napier Witherby Publishing Scholarship. The scholarship is available to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to undertake a publishing postgraduate degree. In addition to monetary support, the successful applicant is also offered a two-week work placement with the Witherby Publishing Group.
“We have a very strong sense of community and social responsibility at Witherbys. We’re a real family firm. We have a charitable trust that does some amazing work, locally and around Scotland.”
Gillian’s final piece of advice
“Look at what’s on Twitter and follow as many people in your industry as you can – both locally and internationally. That’s a good way to find out what section of industry you want to get into and who the main players are. Then, because you’re following them on Twitter, you get to know what the company is like. That gives you lots of background information if you ever want to apply for a job at that company. You can ask questions in an interview that shows you’re interested and have been interested for a long time. “