Ed Marino has 35 years of business experience at Fortune 500 companies and small to mid-cap companies in a number of leadership roles. Ed has specialised in helping companies to grow and prosper by building teams and through well-developed strategies, leadership and strong execution. In the publishing sector, he was a co-founder, President and CEO of Lightning Source, the industry leader in on-demand delivery services to the book publishing industry. He currently is Chairman and CEO at codeMantra—a publishing services company. @marino1715 @codemantra

Hear Ed speak at The London Book Fair 2017 with his seminar The Engagement Model: It’s Time to Change It Up.

Which writer would you have loved to have met and why?
Charles Dickens, for his use of the language.

Tell us what you do in 20 words or less.
I lead a team of people that are changing the way the world learns.

What is the one thing about your company that we need to know?
We use technology to solve real world publishing problems.

What do you like about your job?
Teaching.

What is the single biggest challenge facing the publishing industry right now?
Accepting and adopting innovation and breaking down old norms.

What is the one piece of advice you’d give to someone starting out in publishing today?
It’s the same advice I’d give to someone starting in any industry, really get to know the industry and your business, not just what you do.

Does the publishing industry understand technology?
It’s not that they don’t understand, it’s their hesitancy to deploy technology effectively.

What would be the title of your autobiography?
“Against All Odds”.

What was your first job?
Computer Science Engineer.

Tell us about a passion you have outside the business.
Surfing up in Maine, USA (two hours north of Boston, USA).