Business Visionary Award
The Business Visionary Award recognizes transformative contributions to the world of literature and storytelling.
Honorees
Almar Latour, 2024
PEN America’s 2024 Business Visionary Honoree was Dow Jones CEO and Publisher of The Wall Street Journal Almar Latour, who was at the forefront of efforts for more than a year to secure the release of Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich from a Russian prison. A journalist-turned-business leader, Latour combines a passion for news and technology with rich global experience and an entrepreneurial drive.
Don Katz, 2022
PEN America awarded Audible Founder and Executive Chairman Don Katz as Business Visionary Honoree for its 2022 Literary Gala. Founded in 1995, Audible has revolutionized the way we experience literature, melding traditions of oral storytelling with technology, and has become the leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling and the home for talented creators in audio.
Robert A. Iger, 2021
PEN America’s 2021 corporate honoree was Robert A. Iger, executive chairman of The Walt Disney Company and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Iger built Disney into one of the world’s largest and most admired media and entertainment companies, while focusing on the three fundamental pillars of his strategic vision: generating the best creative content possible; fostering innovation and utilizing the latest technology; and expanding into new markets around the world.
Frank A. Bennack Jr., 2020
PEN America’s 2020 corporate honoree was Frank A. Bennack Jr., executive vice chairman of Hearst, one of the nation’s largest private companies engaged in a broad range of publishing, broadcasting, cable networking, and diversified media and information activities. Bennack served as Hearst’s CEO for more than 28 years. He directed the company through an unprecedented period of growth from when he began his first tenure as CEO in 1979 through June 2013, when he stepped down—increasing revenues 14 times and growing earnings more than 30 times, through investments, acquisitions and startups.
Richard Robinson, 2019
At the 2019 PEN America Literary Gala, Richard Robinson, Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Scholastic, was the Publisher Honoree. Founded in 1920 as a single classroom magazine, Scholastic has become the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books, a leading provider of print and digital instructional materials for Pre-K to grade 12, and a producer of educational and entertaining children’s media.
Carolyn Reidy, 2018
At the 2018 Literary Gala, Carolyn Reidy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Simon & Schuster, Inc., was recognized as the Publisher Honoree. Under her leadership, Simon & Schuster published many acclaimed and award-winning works of lasting cultural significance, greatly expanded its publishing activities in international territories, and was an industry leader in finding new audiences through digital capabilities.
John Sargent, 2017
Macmillan CEO John Sargent, PEN America’s 2018 Publisher Honoree, has a long history of advocating for the rights of publishers. After joining Holtzbrinck Publishing Group as the CEO of St. Martin’s Press, Sargent spent many years challenging censorship in various forums. Now the executive vice president of Holtzbrinck and the CEO of Macmillan, Sargent, is venerated throughout the industry as a stalwart of the values and dedication that undergird contemporary American literature.
Michael Pietsch, 2016
Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch, a PEN America Trustee, was the 2016 Publisher Honoree. Pietsch has worked as an editor to David Foster Wallace, James Patterson, Donna Tartt, and others, championing the power of the unrestrained word. Pietsch has also contributed vocally to the conversation about publishers’ roles in the changing landscape for writers, publishers, booksellers, and readers.
Markus Dohle, 2015
The 2015 PEN literary Gala saluted Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle as its Publisher Honoree. As CEO of Penguin Random House, Dohle led the world’s first truly global trade book publisher, with operations in 20 countries and sales into over 100. He oversaw Penguin Random House’s worldwide publishing divisions, whose 250 editorially independent imprints publish 15,000 new adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction titles annually in English, German, Portuguese, and Spanish.