Sarah Benton and Jonathan Perdoni have been appointed as joint CEOs of Bonnier Books UK, following the departure of Perminder Mann.
MD of the adult trade division, Sarah steps up alongside current COO/CFO Jonathan in the joint role. She will also become an Executive Director of the UK Group, joining Jonathan, Håkan Rudels and Jim Zetterlund on the Bonnier Books UK Board.
Sarah joined Bonnier Books UK two years ago and has since overseen a transformation of the adult trade division, leading to over 100% growth in profit, a UK TCM growth year on year and a record year of top ten bestsellers across all markets.
In 2024, she oversaw the successful integration of Black & White Publishing Group and the implementation of a new imprint structure for the adult division. In 2025, the adult division is projecting additional growth of 20%.
Jonathan Perdoni has been at Bonnier Books UK for 15 years and has been pivotal to the transformation and growth of the UK group since taking the role of COO/CFO in 2018. He has spearheaded a number of vital initiatives including the overhaul and modernisation of its business operations, as well as steering the publisher’s industry-leading sustainability work.
Jim Zetterlund, Chairman of Bonnier Books UK and COO/CFO of Bonnier Books globally, said: “This exciting change of leadership is an important milestone for Bonnier Books UK and it brings me great pleasure to announce Sarah and Jonathan as joint CEOs. I look forward to this dynamic new chapter in our ambitious expansion plans for the UK business.
“Perminder was an exceptional and innovative leader during the last 8 years, building the business and helping to drive it to significant growth. She will be greatly missed and we wish her every success in the future.
“In Sarah and Jonathan, we have a new CEO partnership that combines their significant, complementary experience and talent in ways that I know will take Bonnier Books UK to even greater heights. I am so pleased to welcome them to their new positions.”
Sarah Benton said: “I am delighted to be appointed to this new role, alongside Jon. It comes at a time where we are in an excellent place to build on the success of Bonnier Books UK and everything that makes it special. I am hugely grateful to Perminder and all she has done to make the business what it is today, as well as thankful for her personal support and mentorship. Jon and I are excited to take the helm in the company’s 10th anniversary year, to build on its strong foundations and ensure we continue to serve our authors, creators and readers by delivering best in class publishing.”
Jonathan Perdoni said: “I am thrilled to be working with Sarah in this new capacity for a business I know and value. We both bring different expertise and experience to the table, but share an understanding of what makes Bonnier Books UK great and what we can do to build on everything achieved so far. We are committed to putting great publishing at the heart of the business and continuing to grow market share in the UK and English language markets.
“I feel privileged to have worked alongside Perminder for over a decade and to have seen through the business transformation with her. I look ahead to the future of Bonnier Books UK with great excitement, as we continue our UK growth plans apace, through organic opportunities and acquisitions.”
Bonnier Books UK celebrates being 10 years old this year and in that time its footprint in the UK market has grown by 220%. It is home to authors such as Lynda La Plante, Donna Ashworth, Heather Morris, TM Logan and Holly Black.
Last year it launched its Science Fiction and Fantasy list and delivered two Sunday times bestsellers as well as expanding into the Romance genre. It also launched LEAP – with market-leading publisher Carole Tonkinson – a new and unique lifestyle imprint that puts books that spark change at the heart of their list.
The children’s business also goes from strength to strength, with 4% sales growth in 2024 – the fourth successive year of growth. Recent standout children’s fiction performances include Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot and award wins include the Branford Boase Awards, Diverse Book Awards, and multiple YOTO Carnegie nominations.
Bonnier Books UK is the offspring of Bonnier Books, a family-owned global publisher headquartered in Sweden. With a heritage stretching way back to 1837, when Albert Bonniers Forlag published its very first work (“Proof that Napoleon never existed”), Bonnier Books has grown to include a vast network of publishing houses and book retailers across Europe.
Originating from, and headquartered in, Stockholm; Bonnier Books can be found today in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, Poland, Denmark as well as here in the UK. A top 30 world publisher, Bonnier’s publishing houses sold over 160 million books combined in 2024, achieving turnover of €750 million.
