Yahoo Lifestyle J.K. Rowling’s Agency Hires Former Disney Exec to Lead Harry Potter Franchise Team, Taps Universal Music Alum as CCO (EXCLUSIVE)
The Blair Partnership, the literary agency that has repped J.K. Rowling since it was first set up in 2011 by Neil Blair, has expanded with two key hires in two newly-created roles.
Simon Johnson will join as chief commercial officer from Universal Music UK, where he has spent nearly four years as managing director of strategy, growth and ecommerce. Prior to joining Universal Music, Johnson spent six years at Amazon in senior leadership roles across Europe, including overseeing the Books businesses in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Before Amazon, he spent eight years at HarperCollins, latterly as group managing director, U.K. and international. He will focus on driving growth and exploring new business opportunities.
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Meanwhile, Kiran Jeffery will join as managing director of the Harry Potter franchise team, overseeing the current marketing, product development, and international publishing teams for Harry Potter. Jeffery spent 25 years at The Walt Disney Company in a variety of global marketing, franchise, and partnership management leadership roles. For the last ten years, Kiran served as vice president of franchise & partnership development at Walt Disney Imagineering, where she led global franchise strategies across all Walt Disney brands. In 2024, she was appointed CMO and VP of Disney Consumer Products EMEA, leading all marketing and communication strategies for consumer products.
Both Johnson and Jeffery join The Blair Partnership this spring, with the appointments being made just as the latest on-screen iteration of Rowling’s Harry Potter — the upcoming big-budget HBO series — moves into production.
“I am delighted to welcome Simon and Kiran to The Blair Partnership. Their expertise and leadership will be a huge asset to the business and a great addition to our fantastic existing leadership team,” said Blair. “With Simon’s commercial acumen, creativity and strategic vision, we are confident that he will help us identify and unlock exciting new opportunities for business growth and innovation with both existing and new clients. Kiran’s appointment also comes at a pivotal time as we collaborate closely with our trusted partners to engage a new generation of fans, over twenty-five years after the publication of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. We know she will bring tremendous skill, vision, and ambition to the role.”
Added Johnson: “I’m delighted to be joining The Blair Partnership this spring. With its diverse and dynamic portfolio of clients and business interests, and Neil’s entrepreneurial spirit, I’m excited about identifying further opportunities to grow and innovate.”
Said Jeffery: “The Harry Potter franchise is a dream opportunity for me. Its global appeal continues to grow, and I’m looking forward to helping shape this exciting next phase of its journey, with a beautiful re-adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s stories for TV in the works.”
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