Our Team

NATALIE WILLIAMS (Director)

Natalie brings a deep understanding and commercial view of the publishing world to the role of Director of the Press. Achieving a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Philosophy from the University of Southampton, she began her publishing career in academic Law at Oxford University Press as Commissioning Assistant. She later moved to Nelson Thornes, where her most recent role was Senior Publisher responsible for its secondary Maths portfolio and UK publishing strategy.

Prior to joining UWP in April 2017, Natalie ran her own successful consultancy business, with clients including Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Hodder Education, Pearson Education and HarperCollins, alongside studying for an Executive Master of Business Administration from Cardiff University, which she achieved with Distinction in summer 2017. Natalie provides strong leadership and a clear strategy to her talented team, and draws on her 15+ years in the publishing industry and passion for all things creative in seeking new opportunities for the Press.

SARAH LEWIS (Head of Commissioning)

Sarah’s talent to deliver the link between an initial proposal and the published book is demonstrated in her clarity of communication and acute negotiation skills with authors, agents or senior team members. Continually striving to do the very best for the author and book, Sarah is key to the expansion of the distinguished specialist position that the Press proudly represents.

Sarah joined UWP in 2003 as Commissioning Editor, before her appointment as Head of Commissioning in 2011. Her formative years, both in legal practice as a qualified lawyer and her 15 years in academic publishing, have afforded Sarah the skills that she has in terms of attention to detail and contract negotiation. Additionally, her personal perspective as an author is reflected in her written contributions for Time Out, the Rough Guides and other travel titles; a backdrop to her continued love of travel and world culture in all its manifestations.

VICKI ALEXANDER (Finance and Business Manager)

Vicki has over 20 years of experience working in finance. She is AAT qualified (2000) and is currently studying part time to gain the ACCA qualification alongside a BSc in Applied Accounting through Oxford Brookes University. She is adept at financial management and analysis, and supports colleagues through developing efficiencies within the finance function and fostering a deeper understanding of finance across all aspects of the business.

Vicki has previously worked within charities and not for profit organisations, as well as in manufacturing and commercial industries. She has a wealth of knowledge of accounting within a range of sectors, along with a keen eye for detail and accuracy.

MARIA VASSILOPOULOS (Global Sales Manager)

Maria Vassilopoulos is the Global Sales Manager at the Press and heads up the Sales and Marketing department to ensure our books are seen and read across Wales, the rest of the UK and the world. She manages our sales reps and customers from eBook suppliers to independent bookshops and concentrates on building successful commercial partnerships across the list.

Before joining UWP in October 2021, Maria managed sales and marketing at British Library Publishing and previous to that she worked at The Bookseller magazine, Abrams & Chronicle Books and was a Waterstones bookseller for eight years in Bath and London. Maria is also a book trade historian and is writing a PhD at UCL on the history of bookselling. She is the archivist for The Book Society and is writing a book to mark their centenary.

STEVEN G. GOUNDREY (Production Manager)

Steve oversees the production and editorial processes for all UWP books and journals, managing each stage of a title’s journey from the submission of a finalised manuscript through to the delivery of print and eBooks to our distributors.

Steve began his career in publishing at UWP back in 2005, before going on to join the Production and Editorial team as Production Assistant where he enjoyed over 11 years as a team member. He eventually oversaw a portfolio of new editions whilst gaining a wealth of experience in production, design, printing and many other aspects of academic book publishing. Prior to returning to UWP in Spring 2021, Steve was a member of a research institute at Cardiff University, where he worked as a project manager for 5 years. As a freelance project and production manager Steve worked alongside Sage, Bloomsbury, Emerald and Edward Elgar amongst others and has a wide knowledge and understanding of Welsh and English academic publishing.

DAFYDD JONES (Editor of the Press)

Dafydd’s background and continuing area of scholarly research is in modern and contemporary art history and critical theory; as a university lecturer in art history, theory and practice (1995–2012), he was formerly visiting researcher to the International Dada Archive at the University of Iowa, and has been participant in critical interventions reading the avant-garde – notably the Avant-Garde Project at the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow (2000–7) and the landmark series ‘Crisis and the Arts: The History of Dada’ (1996–2005). He edited the volume Dada Culture (2006), and is author of the research monographs Dada 1916 in Theory: Practices of Critical Resistance (2014) and The Fictions of Arthur Cravan: Poetry, Boxing and Revolution (2018). As the Editor of UWP, Dafydd oversees all editorial functions and the consistent quality of UWP’s textual output, working inter-departmentally and closely with authors throughout proof and production stages, to ensure publications of quality commensurate with authorship.

LLION WIGLEY (Senior Commissioning Editor, Welsh Language and Topics)

In his work, Llion prioritises the integral collaboration with authors on future titles relating to Wales (both in the Welsh and English languages). His academic familiarity with Welsh culture and history well positions Llion to foster good author relations and to identify key potential proposals for UWP.

Llion joined UWP in 2013 with a decade’s experience in the voluntary sector working for Mencap Cymru and the Wales Council for Voluntary Action, where he developed a detailed knowledge of the signposting of broad information needs across diverse user groups. Interspersed with this vital work, Llion was awarded his doctoral degree at Aberystwyth University with his thesis on Wales and Welsh Language culture in the 1960s.

ELIN WILLIAMS (Marketing and Events Manager)

Elin graduated from Cardiff University with an MA in Welsh and Celtic Studies in 2015, and joined the Press later that same year. As UWP’s Marketing and Events Manager, she is responsible for developing and implementing the Press’s marketing campaigns ensuring that all publications are promoted effectively. To achieve this, Elin works closely with authors, external contacts in the media and colleagues at the University of Chicago Press. On a day-to-day basis, she works closely with all departments of the Press, and the Commissioning team in particular in helping to shape UWP’s Wales Studies portfolio. Elin also manages the events programme, organising launches and the presence of authors at literary festivals in Wales and beyond.

CHRIS RICHARDS (Journals and Assistant Commissioning Editor)

Chris supports the Commissioning and Editorial departments through the various stages of the commissioning process, and is a key contact for new authors. He handles the scheduling and preparation of journals, working with editors and contributors to submit new issues to production. Chris is responsible for royalties and data management for UWP, ensuring authors receive their contracted payments from sales throughout the year. Along with other work, he also deals with permissions and Open Access requests for UWP’s publications.

Before joining UWP in 2016, Chris worked as a Library Assistant, and studied for a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University, and an MA in Writing from the University of Warwick.

AMY FELDMAN (Publisher – Calon)

Amy is the Publisher for UWP’s new trade imprint (launched 2022), Calon, bringing stories about Wales and its rich and fascinating culture to a wide audience. She particularly enjoys building relationships with authors with all levels of experience, and helping them bring their ideas to fruition.

Before joining UWP in 2021, Amy was an Editor in the National Trust’s publishing team and previously held marketing roles at the National Trust, Bloomsbury Publishing and Polity. She achieved an MA in Publishing Studies from City University, London, and a BA in English Literature from Cardiff University. She is also a published non-fiction author, with Dear Damsels and National Trust Books, and always aims to use her experience and understanding of this side of the publishing process in her role as Publisher.

ADAM BURNS (Production and Editorial Assistant)

As Production and Editorial Assistant, Adam serves as support for the Production Manager and the Editor of the Press in facilitating the production process. This role requires establishing relationships with suppliers including designers, printers and typesetters, briefing them on all parts of the production process, and liaising with suppliers, authors and the internal production team to ensure smooth communication and the completion of jobs to deadline. In addition, he is responsible for processing invoices for suppliers; sourcing, licensing and carrying out quality checks on images; and maintaining the production schedule to preserve the high quality of the Press’ titles.

A keen enthusiast on Welsh Literature, Adam has an MA in English Literature from Bangor University, with a dissertation focus on 1960s Welsh Writing in English. He has previously undertaken placements at Little, Brown Book Group, Parthian Books and Penguin Random House.

GEORGIA WINSTONE (Sales and Marketing Assistant)

Georgia supports the Sales and Marketing Department in ensuring that every book and journal reaches its intended audience and full sales potential. As Sales and Marketing Assistant, she is the first point of contact for sales and marketing queries, distributes review copies, attends academic conferences, ensures the accuracy of metadata, and manages UWP and Calon’s social media presence.

Prior to joining UWP in 2022, Georgia graduated from the University of York with a BA (Hons) in English and Related Literature in 2019, focusing on medieval literature and received an MA in English Literature from Cardiff University in 2020 with a focus on Welsh Writing in English. She has previously worked as a bookseller and in product marketing, and has worked on placements at Penguin Random House and the Hay Festival.