Kemi is particularly drawn to global stories that explore cultural and/or social issues, coming-of-age novels, Identity and (for YA) fantasy. She will also be building a bespoke list of non-fiction. She acquired a BA in English Literature at UEA and an MA in Publishing at UCL, Kemi spent her formative years at Bloomsbury, Simon & Schuster and Penguin Books and later transitioned into marketing working at ITV, Amazon’s The Book Depository, Time Out and Identity Agency Group.

Rukhsana primarily is non-fiction but she is also building a select fiction list. After completing a Physics degree from the University of Surrey she went on to work at award-winning publishers Saqi Books, Profile Books and Jacaranda. In 2012 she was awarded The Kim Scott Walwyn Prize for Women in Publishing and was a Bookseller Rising Star. She is a trustee of the Centre for Learning and she is working on her own life writing, The Girl in the Corner Shop.

Callen is TGLA’s Submissions Coordinator, acting as the initial reader for all submissions. In 2019 he graduated from Bath Spa University’s MA in Writing for Young People, becoming the first care leaver in the history of East Sussex to study at post-graduate level. Alongside his work for TGLA, Callen reads for publishing houses that specialise in Children’s and YA fiction and is a Manuscript Assessor for Faber Academy. His long-term goal is to become a literary agent, known for always having ice cream on standby, ready to celebrate his authors’ successes. When not working, he spends his spare time writing Middle Grade and YA fiction.

Gyamfia has a BA in Ancient History at Exeter University, she began her career in publishing working as a Bookseller at Waterstones, before joining Caskie Mushens as a Literary Assistant. She returned to the U.K. after living in Amsterdam for two years, where she managed international sales for The Pepin Press and held the role of Editor for Plural Magazine. Gyamfia believes that the books on our shelves should represent the streets that we walk down.

His debut novel, Coconut Unlimited, was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2010. Alongside his second novel, Meatspace, Nikesh has written for The Guardian, Esquire, Buzzfeed, Vice and BBC2, and BBC Radio 4. Nikesh is also the editor of the bestselling essay collection, The Good Immigrant, which won the reader’s choice at the Books Are My Bag Awards. Nikesh was one of Foreign Policy magazine’s 100 Global Thinkers and The Bookseller’s 100 most influential people in publishing.

Julia is a publishing and consumer marketing consultant. She set up Kingsford Campbell in 2014, where she still represents clients and was Head of Marketing at Foyles bookshops. She was the Evening Standard’s 1000 Most Influential Londoners, The Bookseller’s 100 most influential people in publishing and the Future Book Disruptor of the Year. She is co-writing a book called Aspergers & Asparagus with her sister Katherine who is autistic.