During past months Sanoma Learning & Literature has been implementing its new divisional structure. This is well in progress. Reallocation of responsibilities to the business units enables, among others, the Division to focus more on the international growth agenda.

For the Finnish general literature publisher WSOY, the organisational development has been progressing even faster than initially expected. The business performed very well in 2008: Great publishing lists, many Finnish book award nominations and awards had a positive impact on its performance in the market. "We have created a strong, self-supporting business unit that is well prepared for the future," says Jacques Eijkens, head of Sanoma Learning & Literature.

As of 1 April 2009, Anna Baijars, current Publishing Director of WSOY General Literature, will be appointed as Managing Director of the WSOY General Literature business unit, taking over Veli-Pekka Elonen's responsibilities in that area. She will report directly to Jacques Eijkens. Veli-Pekka Elonen, President of WSOY will leave his current position as of 31 March 2009 in order to take up new responsibilities as a consultant in a leading top-management assessment and recruitment company Egon Zehnder International.

"WSOY General Literature will continue to develop their operations with Anna and her new management team as the driving force behind that," says Eijkens. New initiatives, such as merging the operations of Weilin+Göös with the WSOY General Literature will further strengthen WSOY's leading position in Finnish literature scene, both in fiction and non-fiction.

"The 11 years in the Sanoma Group and the last close to three years in WSOY have been extremely interesting and rewarding and the results have been good. I am very grateful of these years. The successful introduction of the new organisation has created a possibility for me to focus on new challenges," Veli-Pekka Elonen comments.

"Veli-Pekka Elonen has delivered strong contribution to the new strategic direction of our Sanoma Learning & Literature division, and he has been the driver behind the new impulses in WSOY's General Literature business unit. I would like to thank Veli-Pekka for the good co-operation, and I wish him success in his new position," says Jacques Eijkens.

Sanoma Learning & Literature is one of the leading educational publishers in Europe and part of the Sanoma Group.