ISAP 2026 Speakers
Ali Abdelmoneim Ahmed, CEO & Co-founderArabookverse International
With over 25 years of leadership in the global publishing industry, I have dedicated my career to driving growth, digital transformation, and cross-cultural exchange. Currently, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of Arabookverse International (UAE & Egypt), where we focus on scaling the global distribution of premium Arabic content.
My executive track record spans roles as CEO, Chief Strategy Officer, and Consultant. Previously, as Head of Content Acquisition and Publishing at Storytel, I pioneered the expansion of Arabic audiobooks. Beyond my corporate roles, I am deeply committed to industry advocacy, having served on the Board of Directors for the Egyptian Publishers Association and chaired its Professional Development and E-Publishing Committee.
I am passionate about empowering Arab publishers to thrive in the digital age and building meaningful cultural bridges between the Arab world and the global market.
Stephanie Andén, Head of Global Rights/Publishing Director at Saga Egmont
Stephanie Andén is Head of Global Rights at Saga Egmont, leading digital publishing and rights strategy across approximately 11 markets, while also heading the Swedish publishing house. Over the past nine years, she has worked at the intersection of digital formats, catalogue activation, IP development, and international expansion. Her experience spans e-book and audiobook strategy, backlist transformation, market launches, and partnerships with leading IP owners. Today, she focuses on balancing global scale with local market insight, exploring how technology, platforms, and evolving consumer behaviours are reshaping the way stories are discovered and consumed.
Brian Bannon, Merryl & James Tisch Director Chief Librarian at The New York Public Library
Brian Bannon is the Chief Librarian and Merryl and James Tisch Director of Branch Libraries and Education at The New York Public Library, leading its 88 neighborhood branches and citywide reading and learning strategies for over a million New Yorkers annually. Before joining NYPL in 2019, Bannon served as commissioner and CEO of the Chicago Public Library, and held leadership roles at the San Francisco and Seattle public libraries and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He holds a bachelor’s from Pacific Lutheran University and a master’s in library science from the University of Washington.
Videl Bar-Kar, Vice President Audio at Bookwire
Videl Bar-Kar has worked in publishing for over 20 years, first as Director of the Ways With Words literary festival group, then as Audio Publisher for Penguin Random House, where he led an award winning team across editorial, production and marketing to create the UK’s leading audiobook publisher.
As Vice President Audio for Bookwire, Videl leads the international expansion of the company’s rapidly growing audio business, from production through distribution of audiobooks and the development of flexible, end-to-end solutions for publishers across all markets.
Carlo Carrenho, Publishing ConsultantCarrenho Publishing Consulting
Carlo Carrenho is a Brazilian-Swedish publishing consultant based in Stockholm, specializing in audiobooks, digital publishing, and international publishing markets. A recognized global industry analyst and speaker, he advises publishers and media companies across Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East on strategy, innovation, and market development. He is the founder of the publishing trade media PublishNews and served as Audio Book Ambassador for the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2023 and 2024. An economist from the University of São Paulo, Carlo is a frequent moderator, keynote speaker, and commentator on the future of publishing and audio.
Amanda D'Acierno, President at Penguin Random House Audio, Global
Amanda D’Acierno is President, Penguin Random House Audio, Global, overseeing the Random House Audio, Penguin Audio, BOT, and Listening Library imprints in the U.S.; expanding Penguin Random House’s audio publishing; and investing in recording studios worldwide. She guided the U.S. audio business through a period of robust growth, increasing the list from 500 titles in 2008 to 2,000 titles annually today, in collaboration with imprints across Penguin Random House and publishers throughout the industry. The Ahab Talent global casting platform, PRH Audio app, and Penguin Random House Audio Narrator Mentorship program were launched under her leadership.
Ama Dadson, Founder & CEO at Akoobooks Audio Ltd
Ama Dadson is the Founder and CEO of AkooBooks Audio, a Ghana-based digital publishing platform expanding global access to African stories, voices, and languages through ebooks and audiobooks.
Inspired by her mother’s loss of sight, she has led AkooBooks to international recognition, with productions earning Audie Award finalist honours and Kirkus Reviews acclaim.
Ama is the Audio Ambassador for the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025/26, winner of the AFD Digital Challenge 2023, and Women in Tech Africa Startup of the Year 2021.
A former Deputy Director of IT Services at the University of Ghana, she is passionate about growing Africa's digital publishing ecosystem.
Laura Fisher, MIDiA Research
Laura leads audio coverage at MIDiA Research, where she analyses the global forces reshaping music, audio and the wider entertainment landscape. Her work connects data with strategy, delivering insights into shifting consumer behaviours and industry changes.
A regular speaker at international conferences, Laura is known for translating complex research into clear, compelling narratives that inform decision-making and contribute to industry conversations around the future of audio.
Adam Fritz, CEO of Pozotron, Inc.
Adam is the CEO of Pozotron, Inc. and has been with the company since 2021. Adam has a BA and MBA, and prior to Pozotron had executive and leadership roles with multiple companies in the software and professional sport industries. He lives in Vancouver, Canada with his 2 audiobook obsessed sons.
Victoria Gerken, Publisher at Podium Entertainment
Victoria Gerken is the Publisher at Podium Audio. She has welcomed independent authors into the Podium family since 2016. She previously worked with authors in traditional publishing roles - at Random House and Alfred A. Knopf - where she was a publicist and sold subsidiary rights. She got her first taste of entrepreneurship in publishing as the founder of the Random House Speakers Bureau.
Helena Gustafsson, Chief Content & Publishing Officer at Storytel
Helena Gustafsson, Chief Content & Publishing Officer at Storytel Group, has been instrumental in the company's growth and success since joining in 2013. Beginning her tenure as CEO of Storytel's fully owned audiobook publisher, StorySide, she quickly became a key player in establishing Storytel's leading position within the industry. Her contributions extend to strategic acquisitions and partnerships that have shaped the company's trajectory, demonstrating her broad expertise and deep understanding of the audio entertainment and publishing landscape.
Colin Hauer, CEO of Hörbuch Hamburg
Colin Hauer is the CEO of Hörbuch Hamburg Verlag, one of Germany’s leading audiobook publishers. For over 19 years he has been active in the audio world and in addition to positions at Amazon, Bastei Lübbe, Bookwire, Sony Music and Universal Music, has advised several publishers and subscription services on their digital strategy development.
Besides an MBA from Mannheim Business School, he graduated with an M.A. in Creative Industries Management and a B.A. in Music Business.
Paulo Lemgruber, Head of Regional Content for LATAM and Rest of World at Audible
Paulo Lemgruber leads consumer content for Latin America and Rest of World (ROW) for Audible, the leading producer and provider of premium audio storytelling. In this role, he leads content strategy, programming, editorial and Audible Studios, including creative development and content production for Audible Original titles, for Latin America. He also oversees Audible’s content acquisition strategy outside of North America, the EU, UK and APAC. Previously, Paulo has held senior general management, business development and content roles at organizations such as Hearst, Comcast, AOL and Sony Pictures Entertainment. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and resides in NYC.
Winnie Li, Senior Manager & Business Development Executive at OverDrive
For more than a decade, Winnie has enabled publishers of all sizes to turn libraries into a global growth engine. As a leader of the content team at OverDrive and a business development executive, she builds the deal structures and partnerships that carry publishers' catalogs into markets worldwide. A lifetime member of the Chinese American Librarian Association, she is recognized internationally for her thought leadership in digital publishing and content licensing. She resides in Cleveland, Ohio, where she enjoys a great restaurant as much as a great book.
Edward Nawotka, Senior News and International Editor at Publishers Weekly
Ed Nawotka is Senior International and Bookselling Editor of New York trade magazine Publishers Weekly. A widely published essayist and critic, his work has appeared in the New York Times, Texas Monthly, The New Yorker, and dozens of other publications in the U.S. and abroad. He was the cofounder of trade web site Publishing Perspectives, a syndicated culture columnist for Bloomberg News, and has nearly three decades experience reporting on and consulting for global business, media and the arts. You can read an archive of his work at https://authory.com/EdNawotka
Bertrand Rocton, Digital Business Director at Hachette Livre
Bertrand has been working at Hachette Livre France in digital publishing for 15 years, developing ebooks and audiobooks sales
Jon Watt, Group Digital Director at Bonnier Books UK
Jon Watt is Group Digital Director at Bonnier Books UK where he has evolved the company’s audiobook and digital first strategy and overseen the rapid expansion of the division. He is also Chair of the Audio Publishers Group, part of the Publishers Association, where he has spearheaded the global effort of standardise labelling of AI narrated audiobooks.