When Richard Robinson, CEO of Scholastic, suddenly passed away in June, his family expected him to pass on the top publisher to someone of his blood relation. Many suspected the inheritor would be one of his sons or his ex-wife. As it turns out, Robinson left the company to the executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Scholastic, Iole Lucchese.
Robinson and Lucchese reportedly had a relationship years prior, but it is not clear whether they were still together at the time of Robinson’s passing. Lucchese worked for Scholastic for three decades before taking on this new, unexpected role. Not only did she become Scholastic’s new CEO, but she also inherited all of Robinson’s possessions. This left his family shocked and confused. His sons reportedly called the hurtful revelation “unexpected and shocking” and “salt in an open wound.”
Robinson is responsible for taking on global literary franchises such as Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. Without him, some of our favorite books would have perhaps gone unpublished. You can click here to view Scholastic’s tribute to Robinson.
In other publishing news, HarperCollins UK updated their health policies to include assistance for people who experience menopause and perimenopause. Click here to read more about this important step towards equality.
FEATURED IMAGE VIA SCHOLASTIC