David Roche
Chair of the Board
David Roche has worked in both retail and publishing as CEO of Borders and Books etc. and as Group Sales and Marketing Director of HarperCollins. Prior to these roles he was Product Director at both Waterstones and HMV.
David co-chaired the Booksellers Association/Publishers Association Liaison Group from 2003-05 and was President of the Booksellers Association from 2005-07. He now runs his own company, David Roche Enterprises Ltd, and acts as a consultant, professional coach and mentor, and non-executive director.
He is also non-executive Chairman of the London Book Fair, and executive Chairman of BookBrunch, the information site and daily news service for the book industry.
David sits on a number of advisory boards, is a lecturer at the National Film and Television School, and has given recent masterclasses at Kingston University, University of Central Lancashire, and Northumbria University.
In 2017 David was presented with an Honorary Fellowship by UCLan and his first book as an author was published by Unbound. He joined the New Writing North board in December 2015.
I got involved with New Writing North when I discovered their unique ability to help writers to change their lives for the better, either going on to become authors or just to develop a side of themselves that makes them more fulfilled as an individual. Being a trustee at NWN means to understand and develop how innovative thinking and creative partnerships can provide such a massive benefit to so many people, and that’s a very rewarding journey.