Gail Rebuck has risen to become chairman of the new publishing house Randy Penguin, or Penguin Random House as it would prefer to be known, but has she got further to go? The talk of the town is that she should be an obvious candidate for a peerage.
Rebuck’s late husband was Philip Gould, Labour guru to Tony Blair in the Nineties who died 18 months ago of cancer. Philip was Lord Gould, making her Lady Gould by marriage, but she is also a dame in her own right.
Rebuck has also been a shining example of women in business. She was made chairman and chief executive of Random House’s British division in 1991 and highlights of her time there include the publication of Tony Blair’s A Journey, the fastest-selling autobiography ever after a £4 million advance.
Last year Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour named her the 10th most powerful woman in the UK. Rebuck, the Londoner is assured by those close to her, would be far too modest to ever declare this an ambition.
Rebuck has also received high praise from rival publishers. “She is a real class act and I can see her taking on Channel 4 or the BBC or a portfolio of jobs,” said Vicky Barnsley in an interview a couple of years ago. Barnsley stood down this week as CEO of HarperCollins when it emerged that the Rupert Murdoch-owned company had hired a boss based in New York.
The Londoner thinks Barnsley would be a lovely adornment in the House of Lords too.
