APAC 2023
speaker bios - ISAP 2024
Ali Abdel-Moneim Ahmed, CEO & Co Founder Arabookverse UK-EG
Publisher & Publishing & Partnerships Consultant/Egypt
Ali Abdelmoneim is a seasoned publishing professional with over 24 years of experience in the industry. Currently the Co-founder and CEO of Arabookverse UK - EG, he spearheads the global distribution of digital Arabic content. Additionally, Ali is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Rufoof platform, where he contributes his expertise to shape strategic initiatives.
Before his current roles, Ali served as the Head of Content Acquisition and Publishing at Storytel MENA, during his tenure, he played a pivotal role in driving content acquisition strategies and building the Arabic audiobook market.
He served on the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Publishers Association and chaired the Professional Development and Digital Publishing Committee from 2020 to 2022.
Ali Abdelmoneim is dedicated to advancing digital transformation in Egyptian and Arab publishing through consultancy and increasing Arabic content online.
With an Industrial engineering degree in Printing, Publishing, and Packaging, with professional track record in business development and digital transformation.
Education: Paris fellowship programme 2022, Storytel Leadership Programme 2020-2021, Frankfurt fellowship programme 2019, The IVLP 2018, 2021 International Visitor Leadership Program USA- Publishing Industry and Access to a free Marketplace of Ideas.
Porter Anderson, BA, MA, MFA, Editor-in-Chief of Publishing Perspectives
Porter Anderson (@Porter_Anderson) BA, MA, MFA, is Editor-in-Chief of Publishing Perspectives, the editorially autonomous daily news medium presented by Frankfurter Buchmesse for the world publishing industry. Anderson is a veteran newsman with CNN, CNN.com, and CNN International–as well as the Village Voice, the Dallas Times Herald, The Bookseller and others. He was named London Book Fair’s International Trade Press Journalist in the 2019 International Excellence Awards. In
addition to his career in news, Anderson has worked as a diplomat with the United Nations, posted to the Rome headquarters of the World Food Programme. He has also served as Executive Media Producer of INDEX: Design to Improve life, the Danish award for humanitarian design under the patronage of HRH Frederik, Prince of Denmark. Anderson is a frequent speaker on the international publishing stage, in trade shows and book-fair settings in Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, and the Middle East.
Carlo Carrenho, publishing consultant based in Sweden.
Carlo was the founder of book trade media PublishNews in Brazil and Spain. He recently joined a partner in his home country Brazil to launch Pop Stories, an audiobook company. He is also a partner at the Italian aggregator StreetLib and is actively consulting for audiobook publisher Dreamscape in the US. Majored in Economics at the University of São Paulo and a Radcliffe Publishing Course graduate, Carlo accumulates 30 years as a book publishing professional. He was invited to be the Audio Book Ambassador for the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2023 and 2024.
Along his career, Carlo focused on digital developments in the publishing industry and also on new business models. His focus nowadays is definitively audio. He held executive positions in companies such as Thomas Nelson (Brazil), Ediouro (Brazil) and Word Audio Publishing International (Sweden). He has also consulted for companies in Brazil, Germany, Finland, Spain, Argentina, Canada, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Slovenia and the US.
Liza Faja, Director of Audiobooks, Lizzie, the audio imprint of Editis.
Liza joined Lizzie at the launch of the company, which published 1400 audiobooks in a bit more than 5 years. Lizzie has already won 11 audiobooks awards. The audio version of Dune (120 hours) has been rewarded with a “Trophy of publishing”. Previously Liza Faja worked in audiobooks at Hachette and Audible. She also worked in print as a specialized publisher in psychology and self-help.
Helena Gustafsson, Chief Content Officer, Storytel
Since joining the company in 2013 as CEO of Storytel’s fully owned audiobook publisher StorySide, Helena Gustafsson has been a key player in establishing Storytel’s industry-leading presence, strategic acquisitions and partnerships and building the company’s original production of audiobooks. Helena Gustafsson has also previously had roles as Head of Licensing and Head of Global Publishing at Storytel. Today she is Chief Content Officer and part of the Storytel AB’s management team.
Winnie Li, Business Development Executive & Senior Manager, OverDrive
Winnie has served as a business development executive with OverDrive for over a decade. She has secured partnerships with industry-leading publishers, driving international collaborations and licensing initiatives that enable distribution of multimedia content.
A leading strategist in global expansion, she supports audiobook publishers such as Storytel, Bonnier, China Publishing Group, Qingting FM, TrueLake and Discover 21 to expand their
international presence and sales through institutional channels. Under her leadership, OverDrive now provides an extensive, multilingual selection of audiobooks to libraries and schools worldwide.
Active in her community, Winnie serves on the board of a local nonprofit MotivAsians for Cleveland and is a lifetime member of the Chinese American Librarian Association. An MBA graduate, she lives in Cleveland, Ohio (by choice) with her family.
Ed Nawotka, Senior International and Bookselling Editor, Publishers Weekly
Ed has reported on books, media, and business for more than 30 years and from nearly 100 countries around the world. He was the co-founder of Publishing Perspectives, served as a columnist for Bloomberg News, and has contributed to a wide range of publications, including the New York Times, the New Yorker, and dozens of others. He lives in Texas.
Chantal Restivo-Alessi, CEO International Foreign Language & Chief Digital Officer, HarperCollins Publishers
Chantal Restivo-Alessi is Chief Digital Officer and CEO International Foreign Language for HarperCollins Publishers, leading the overall global digital strategy and foreign language publishing program for the company. She works with each division around the world to manage commercial relationships with new and existing digital partners, grow digital revenues, oversee the company’s
developing foreign language publishing program. Chantal is board president and member of HarperCollins France, HarperCollins Italia, HarperCollins Ibérica, HarperCollins Poland, HarperCollins Japan, and HarperCollins Nordic. She is also a member of the company’s executive committee. She was appointed Chief Digital Officer in May 2012 and expanded her role to CEO, International Foreign Language in April 2015.
Since joining HarperCollins, Restivo-Alessi has pioneered the use of new digital sales channels, signing numerous deals with new distributors, such as subscription services Scribd and Storytel, and growing digital sales exponentially (175%). In addition, she led the launch of the company’s e-commerce platform on HC.com and has spearheaded efforts for the company’s other direct-to-consumer programs across the globe.
As CEO, International Foreign Language, Restivo-Alessi has led the development of the company’s global publishing program, with the acquisition of globally bestselling authors such as Karin Slaughter, Daniel Silva and Don Winslow, and the establishment of trade publishing operations in nine foreign markets, including Japan, Brazil, and across Europe. This effort has resulted in strong revenue growth ahead of the market.
Restivo-Alessi has extensive expertise in strategy development and execution, has held numerous senior strategy positions, and has more than 25 years of international media management experience. She joined HarperCollins from ING Bank in London, where she was Head of Media Corporate Finance. In addition, she has worked at Aegis Group PLC in senior strategy and operational roles, EMI music, and Booz & Company.
Restivo-Alessi is fluent in six languages, holds an MBA from Columbia University, a Masters in Foreign Trade and International Marketing from ICE Italian Institute, and a Laurea (MA) in International Political Sciences from University of Rome.