2 April 2026– Hachette UK today announced positive changes in their pay gaps and the representation of Black, Asian, Mixed Heritage and Minority Ethnic staff as part of their new Changing the Story report, which will be published annually aligned with their ongoing commitment to the vital work of diversity, equity and inclusion, and to ensuring that all voices, perspectives and ideas are included in their partnerships, people and publishing.  

The gender and ethnicity data for Hachette UK Ltd show the median pay gap at its lowest since 2018 and an overall increase in the representation of Black, Asian, Mixed Heritage, and Minority Ethnic groups, with the top quartile now at the highest level ever. Hachette’s Whole Group median gender pay gap (4.1%) is lower than the national median pay gap (12.8%, ONS). 

In addition to their annual gender and ethnicity pay gap data, which they have released for the past 9 and 7 years, respectively, the report released at the inaugural Changing the Story Town Hall event, hosted by Hachette UK’s CEO, David Shelley, includes representation data around disability, age, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.  

Lisa Waterman, Chief People Officer, Hachette UK, said: ‘2026 is the 10^th year of Changing the Story, the central pillar of our business. So, this year, to strengthen our commitment, we have added an additional layer to our annual pay gap reporting that captures a fuller picture of our staff, assesses our progress, and deepens our understanding of where we must focus our development over the next 10 years. We know that to continue driving profitable growth and delivering on our mission to make it easy for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment, and opportunity, we must have a staff community that mirrors the UK population and serves the readers and consumers we want to reach. We also know that the strength of our understanding of our staff data is currently too varied to fully identify existing barriers, so we are working with our colleagues to build confidence in data disclosure. We hope that by publishing today’s Changing the Story Report, our staff and creative partners will recognise this as another important way in which we continue to hold ourselves to account, measure our progress, and drive meaningful change. In our mission to achieve true inclusivity, we know there is more work to be done, and we remain committed to the ambitious Changing the Story action plans we set each year. We are determined to keep changing the story at Hachette UK.’ 

Ella Patel, Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Hachette UK, commented: ‘We are continuing to make progress in closing our gender and ethnicity pay gaps and ensuring that Hachette is truly a place where everyone can thrive and have an impact. Encouragingly, representation of women in the upper quartile is at its highest since 2020. However we still have a low number of men in the middle quartiles, making both areas key priorities as we work to close our gender pay gap through the acquisition and development of talent in our business. We are also encouraged to see our ethnicity pay gap improving to its lowest level since 2018. Representation of Black, Asian, Mixed Heritage, and Minority Ethnic staff has increased slightly and is now at the highest-ever level in the top quartile of Hachette UK Ltd. Our commitment to holding ourselves to account by tracking and interrogating our data informs all our decisions on how to continue driving progress. Over the past year, we have introduced comprehensive Inclusive Leadership Training for all people managers across our business and a new Changing the Story Board with rotating members from different areas and levels across the company, ensuring we capture a broad range of employee experience and feedback. We also trained 20 Neurodiversity Champions, who act as advocates across the business, providing support to colleagues who want to talk about neurodiversity. Our networks have successfully delivered a suite of meaningful panels and events, influenced decision-making, and acted as a strong sounding board for our business leaders to help shape policy. We are also proud to have been included in The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality list for the sixth consecutive year. We are committed to the vital work of Changing the Story to ensure meaningful, sustainable change in addressing our pay gaps and continuing to create a culture rooted in inclusivity.’ 

To give an accurate picture of the whole company, for the gender and ethnicity pay gap, Hachette UK reports on three entities: Hachette UK Ltd, which comprises staff in publishing roles; Hachette Distribution; and the Whole Group, which includes everyone in Hachette UK Ltd and Hachette Distribution. 

Ethnicity Pay Gap: 

This is the seventh year in which Hachette UK has voluntarily shared its ethnicity pay gap. The latest report shows representation across the Whole Group has improved, with 6.9% increase in Black, Asian, Mixed Heritage and Minority Ethnic employees since 2018. 

Within Hachette UK, the median and mean ethnicity pay gap figures have improved significantly from last year; the mean gap has decreased from 16.9% to 15.1% and the median gap is now at 8.9% from 13.4%. Across the Whole Group, the mean and median also improved from last year to 12.9% (from 13.9%) and 10.7% (from 12.6%), respectively. 

In line with the Publishers Association Inclusivity Action Plan, Hachette UK’s target for increasing representation for Black, Asian, Mixed Heritage and Ethnically Diverse employees within the business is 18.3% by 2026. Representation within Hachette UK currently sits at 15.7%, up from 15.2% in 2024’s report and up from 10.4% when the report was first published in 2019. 

Gender Pay Gap: 

The representation of women in senior roles at Hachette UK Ltd continues to improve. Currently, women make up 64.9% of the upper quartile and 77.3% of the upper middle quartile, compared to 56.6% and 69.8% in 2017.  

For the Whole Group, the mean and median figures now stand at 14.9% and 4.1%, compared to last year’s 15.1% and 5.6%, respectively. For Hachette UK Ltd, the mean pay gap has reduced to 20.8%, while the median decreases to 15.2%. 

The mean bonus pay gap is broadly unchanged, with a slight improvement at the median level for Hachette UK Ltd from 22.1% to 17.8%. 

Representation  

As part of the development of Changing the Story, Hachette UK has committed to releasing annual staff representation data on gender, ethnicity, disability, socio-economic background, sexual orientation, and age.  

The data was released as part of the inaugural Changing the Story Report and was presented to all staff at the accompanying Changing The Story Town Hall event, along with an analysis of consumer demographics, and case studies of initiatives that have contributed to Hachette UK’s progress over the past 10 years of Changing the Story.  

The process highlighted the gaps that exist in staff data meaning that some representation data currently doesn’t give an accurate picture of the staff population and Hachette UK is working with staff to ensure they feel comfortable disclosing sensitive data.  

As of April 2025, Hachette UK’s Whole Group workforce is made up of 72.7% women and 27.3% men. There was a small increase (0.3%) in men for the Whole Group and, positively, the number of women in the upper quartile has also increased (0.8%). 

14.6% of staff identify as Black, Asian, Mixed Heritage or Minority Ethnic, continuing steady year-on-year growth from 7.7% in 2018.  

With regard to disability, the disclosure rate is 69.2%, and of that group, 7.2% disclosed a disability, compared with a UK population average of 17.8%.  

15.8% of staff identify as working class, which is slightly higher than the publishing industry average, but below half of the UK population average of 39%. The disclosure rate is the lowest of all categories at 65%.  

12.15% of Hachette’s Whole Group identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or other, compared to 15% in UK publishing and 3.7% in the UK population.  

20.2% of staff are over 50, which is 2.3% lower than UK population census data (age 50-67). There isn’t any current data from the 2024 Publishers Association for age.  

Changing the Story Action Plan 

Hachette UK continues to implement and iterate its action plans to improve representation in the business and ultimately remove the ethnicity and gender pay gaps. Changing the Story is the business’ commitment to the vital work of diversity, equity and inclusion, and to ensuring that Hachette UK includes all voices, perspectives and ideas in its partnerships, people and publishing. 

Partnerships 

Hachette UK has achieved Age Inclusive Accreditation as part of its partnership with 55/Redefined this year. This partnership aims to help better attract, retain and grow colleagues over 50+ and create a multigenerational workforce that values experience and flexibility. 

The business is delivering training on ‘How to Be an Inclusive Leader’ with The Unmistakeables to empower our people managers with the skills to create inclusive and equitable team environments. 

Hachette UK’s partnerships with Northumbria University and New Writing North support its goal to be regionally diverse in their workforce and publishing. 1,252 students have attended the annual Careers Roadshow and, since its launch in 2022, 51 people have completed the MA in Publishing, with 4 graduates now working within the business. Together, they opened the Sounds Good Audio Studio in Newcastle, expanding access to and relationships with local narrators. 

People  

In 2025, Hachette UK was named one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality for the sixth consecutive year. It is the UK’s most well-established listing of employers taking action to create workplaces where everyone, regardless of gender, can thrive. 

Over 1,000 Hachette UK staff are involved with its 12 Employee Networks, whose mission is to foster communities of inclusion and belonging around shared experiences. The networks collaborate with leadership and HR on the creation of impactful policies, including those on Menopause, Shared Parental Leave, and Neonatal Care. 

Hachette UK works with Creative Access to seek entry-level and career- change applicants for our Hachette UK Traineeship that is designed to make publishing more accessible to under-represented groups. Trainees experience a full view of the publishing industry by joining teams in Hachette UK as well as Curtis Brown and Waterstones. From the first seven cohorts, 76% secured permanent jobs with the company at the end of the Traineeship and have gone on to find success at Hachette, acquiring chart-topping titles and leading Employee Networks. In January 2026, they welcomed our eighth group – the biggest cohort yet, with nine entry-level and five career-switcher placements. 

Launched in 2007 by its Little, Brown division, the Hachette Design Internship nurtures upcoming designers and bridges the gap between industry and education through a wide-ranging and hands-on paid internship. Of the 43 designers who have completed the internship, 21 now work in the publishing industry including 8 at Hachette UK.  

Opened in 2021, Hachette UK’s National Offices play a key role in our commitment to forging close links with communities around the UK, attracting local talent and authors to diversify its workforce and publishing. They now have 149 employees working across Bristol, Newcastle, Sheffield, Manchester, Edinburgh and Chichester, with 78 of these colleagues recruited directly into these national offices. 

Over 115 staff have partnered with the HUK Board to accelerate their development and receive career support through Hachette UK’s annual Changing the Story Mentoring Scheme.  

Publishing 

Hachette UK continues to deliver writing schemes and prizes with the aim to reach aspiring authors from under-represented backgrounds and break down barriers to traditional publishing, including the Mo Siewcharran and Modern Stories prizes and the Grow Your Story workshops. Overall, these schemes have reached nearly 500 attendees via workshops, mentored 120 authors and led to over 40 publishing deals being made with authors on the prize and awards lists. 

Led by Orion in 2025, the Muslim Romance Festival reached a demographic of heavy book buyers often under-served by the industry and created an inclusive space for romance readers to connect and feel represented. Over 100 people attended, and tickets sold out within hours. Hachette UK is looking forward to hosting the event again in 2026. 

The full version of the Changing the Story report is published today on the Hachette UK website.