Cassie Chadderton
Cassie is Chief Executive of World Book Day.
She was previously Head of UK Theatre, the major professional association for theatre and the performing arts and Director, Media and Stakeholder Relations at Arts Council England, working to promote the importance of the arts to society and the creative economy.
Before then Cassie held publicity roles at publishing companies including Fourth Estate and Random House and led campaigns for a range of bestselling fiction, non-fiction and celebrity authors.
She is Chair of Culture Central, the collective voice for arts and culture in the West Midlands. She is a Fellow of the RSA and works with Speakers for Schools and Creative Access.
Cassie is currently hooked on the Cazalet Chronicles* by Elizabeth Jane Howard, having railed against her sister’s recommendation to read them for years. She’s particularly intrigued by the voices represented through the series, such as the children, women and servants, who are often less heard from in literature set during the 1940s.
‘World Book Day is a cultural moment that 97% of children have heard of and that 86% of adults are familiar with’
Tell us about your role at World Book Day and your journey to becoming chief executive.
My role was the first staff position at World Book Day. For nearly 30 years brilliant people had been making World Book Day happen, it already had incredible reach into schools and with children and families, but as a new chief executive I had the opportunity to build a strategy and a team from scratch — a gift.
My job has been about clarifying why World Book Day exists and what we will do to reach the children who don't already experience World Book Day in a positive way. World Book Day is a cultural moment that 97% of children have heard of and that 86% of adults are familiar with, so our job is to bring depth to what we're here to do; encouraging more children to love and enjoy reading. I’m aiming to make sure that we maintain all the fun, excitement and joy of World Book Day, and achieve its purpose. It is a real opportunity and a real pleasure. World Book Day is an extraordinary phenomenon created by the industry that still sits behind it - bookselling and publishing. There is a strong foundation to build on.
What attracted me to the role was coming back into the world of books in a way that has social purpose. I worked in publicity in publishing for nearly 10 years at the start of my career. When I left, I was Publicity Director at William Heinemann, but I felt as though I needed to go out to see what else I could do with the skills and experience I’d developed in the world of publishing. Reading has always been my first love, but I'm also culturally engaged in other ways, so I hoped I could work in different contexts. I went to the Arts Council, which is the government body that develops art and cultural policy and delivers funding in England. It was a good place to get a sense of the broader landscape of the creative industries.
‘Being able to choose to read something that reflects who you are and gives you a window into a new world can't be underestimated.’
What do you wish people knew about the mission and initiatives of World Book Day?
I’d like people to understand the purpose of the charity and why it is so important. Reading for pleasure makes an enormous difference to children's life chances, but fewer and fewer children are choosing to do it. Recent research from the NLT shows that more than half of children and young people don’t enjoy reading in their free time, the lowest level since 2005, and that reading enjoyment is lowest among children from disadvantaged backgrounds. That's a problem for us as a society because these children aren’t benefiting from the improved educational, economic, mental health and wellbeing that we see if they’re reading. And these children aren’t developing a reading for pleasure habit that will make them into book buyers in their adult life.
I remind myself that I grew up as a very enthusiastic reader. Book tokens for Christmas? Yes please! I was good at reading, people told me I was good at it and so reading helped me feel good about myself. But then I remember how I’d do everything I could to be sick on Sports Day, or the dread I felt when I walked past the times tables progress chart in the school hallway. It was horrible. If I just transport myself into that child's body, except reading is the problem, I get it.
Everything we do at World Book Day is based on the learnings of many different reports and the evidence of what will encourage children to read for pleasure. Choice is critical. Being able to choose to read something that reflects who you are and gives you a window into a new world can't be underestimated. If children don’t feel as though they've got a choice that inspires and reflects them, they are very likely to be put off reading.There’s evidence to show that there simply isn't enough representation of the different cultures and ethnicities our society is made up of in children's books.
‘I think there’s still a sense in publishing, not quite as much as when I arrived in the industry, that you need to have the “right” accent.’
Have you witnessed industry changes since the beginning of your career in publishing? Do you think they’re positive or negative?
I grew up in Birmingham so I knew that I would need to leave my home town in order to work in publishing. I think that is probably still true, but these days there are publishers in Birmingham and across the country. If I started out now it might be possible for me to do a paid internship (not unpaid work experience) without needing to sleep on my sister's floor in London! That’s an important change for young people coming into the industry today.
There has been change in terms of diversity, inclusion and equity, though it can feel quite slow. I think there’s still a sense in publishing, not quite as much as when I arrived in the industry, that you need to have the ‘right’ accent. When I started in publishing, I became very conscious that the way I spoke revealed my socio-economic status. People still call out my Brummie accent sometimes, which I find really curious. I don't say ‘Gosh, you sound like you went to Eton’! I was different to the norm within the industry and we know that happens to lots of people in much more acute and tricky ways. But there are brilliant initiatives making change happen: the work Creative Access does, or Hachette’s Changing the Story programme, or Penguin Random House’s inclusion and social impact work. The industry is working hard to bring in people from underrepresented backgrounds. It can, and should, make a difference.
‘I always try to start from the premise that you need to listen and invite in other opinions. I can't possibly know everything. Nobody can.’
You are also Chair of Culture Central, who advocate for creative and cultural opportunities across the West Midlands. Could you tell us a bit about how you approach this role and if there are any values that inform your decisions?
Culture Central is a body that exists for the cultural sector in the West Midlands. It brings together the arts and cultural organisations across the region to share ideas and advice, to make a shared case for funding and for the importance of the sector both nationally and regionally. We convene the sector, bringing people together in ways they could not achieve alone. A body like Culture Central can tell councils and the government ‘Here's what 400 people think’, rather than ‘Here's what I think’, and play a neutral role of bringing voices together, which is incredibly valuable. When I came to Culture Central, having known about it for some time through my work at the Arts Council and at UK Theatre, it was a chance to use previous career experience, and to support the region’s arts and cultural sector.
When I moved to Birmingham in February 2021, it meant a lot to me to be back home. I wanted to be proactive about getting involved in Birmingham in a way that felt right for me. I actually joined Culture Central’s newsletter to get some ideas for local opportunities, but they advertised the fact that they needed a chair themselves, and I thought, ‘Maybe that could be me’! It’s very different being chair to being chief executive. There is a chief executive at Culture Central who does a fabulous job, and she has a team who support her very well. She works with me and the board to guide, shape and direct the work that Culture Central does, but we don’t deliver it.
Some of the values that I have in World Book Day are the same, but they play out in slightly different ways. I always try to start from the premise that you need to listen and invite in other opinions. I can't possibly know everything. Nobody can. At Culture Central this means considering, ‘How have we come to this? Tell us about it so the Board can take a decision that’s rigorous and based on a range of opinions, views and evidence’.
‘Sometimes people are so passionate about the creative output, or so focused and driven about purpose and social justice, that they forget to be good leaders.’
In both of these roles, you must need to demonstrate key leadership skills to keep teams moving forward. What do you think are the qualities essential to lead a team in a creative industry?
I don't know what it's like to be a leader anywhere other than the creative industries! What I find really valuable is being purpose-driven. That's what pushes me as a leader, so I aim to bring people around me who are also purpose-driven. That’s much more of a given within the creative industries than perhaps it is in others. People are already incredibly motivated before they're in a team led by me. Everyone at World Book Day came to the organisation thinking, ‘I want to be part of that’. It’s a good start. It means I can lead with a sense that we’re trying to achieve the same thing together and that's really powerful. As a team we might have different ideas about the exact route to the outcome, but our passion for the purpose means it’s a question of bringing views together to navigate a shared way forward. It’s clear when people share that passion - they’ll tell you. It’s always quite obvious within an interview that someone has decided to apply for something because they want to make a difference.
Sometimes people are so passionate about the creative output, or so focused and driven about purpose and social justice, that they forget to be good leaders. Leadership is a question of holding a lot of things in balance all of the time, often negotiating various expectations of what you should be doing. It’s less about trying to please everyone, and more about trying to understand where the right balance is between the, sometimes shifting, opinions and expectations. It helps to have the strategy and objectives clearly articulated. The mission of the charity is not going to change, but a different set of trustees, a different chief executive, a different team, could deliver it in a very different way taking very different decisions.
It has also helped me to understand my own values and what drives and guides me. I try to understand why something has challenged me if it doesn't feel right. There are so many different styles of leadership. I can only be the style that I am. I hope I have the self-awareness, insight and willingness to listen, change and grow.
‘Being away from your job to concentrate on your life is not a deficit - it brings more to the working environment.’
Can you tell us about a pivotal moment in your career that helped to define your journey as a leader?
I was 26 and a Publicity Manager when I went on maternity leave. I loved being with my baby. It was a very special time that I will never forget. Obviously there were days I found it hard, but I really did not want to go back to work. I was thinking up all sorts of schemes to avoid going back to work! One day I got a reminder from the student loans company that I still owed them a billion pounds, and it reminded me that I had gone into the degree with an expectation that I might do something with it. I realised that I might miss a moment to have the career I wanted if I didn't go back.
Two things happened. First, I was absolutely miserable. It felt like a real loss to send my baby into nursery. Secondly, almost immediately, the role at William Heinemann came up and I thought, ‘Well, if I’m going to be here, I'm going to make it count’. I got the job. It was a higher level, higher salary and more interesting, which was critical as it brought more satisfaction. I thought, ‘There is a journey here that includes motherhood and my career; both are important to me and I'm just going to have to try and square them’.
Hopefully, it is more accepted now that you can have a life as well as a job. Being away from your job to concentrate on your life is not a deficit - it brings more to the working environment. It’s an experience that brings a depth of perspective and a new way of looking at the world. It affects your attitude to responsibility, your time management, so many things.
Sometimes it can feel like others are learning and moving way ahead without you, but your life isn't only your job. I've spent time measuring my career progress against people the same age as me, and have hopefully learned that it's just not the point. You might have done things that they didn't do; they might have done things you didn't do. Age is a factor in a life journey, but it’s not the only one.
Finally, tell us about another woman in publishing who inspires you.
The people who inspire me now are those who understand the need to connect with readers, particularly the children who need some extra encouragement to engage fully with the brilliance of reading. Aimée Felone at Knights Of is an incredible woman who saw something important that needed to be done and is doing it. Hilary Murray-Hill at Hachette doesn't just see things through a publishing lens, she’s a Trustee for BookTrust and understands the societal challenges behind not reading. Cally Poplak at HarperCollins has, for years, been bringing a real purpose to children's publishing, to develop children as proud readers. Joanna Prior is an inspirational publishing leader who also chairs the National Literacy Trust. And there are so many others! Publishing is a commercial industry, so of course it’s about great content, but these women know we need a wider lens if we’re to improve literacy and enjoyment of reading. They're doing something about that as well as publishing brilliantly.
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