Sunday 19th April 2026
9.00 - 9.45
Conference registration and welcome coffee
09.55 - 10.55
Welcome words and keynote speech
STEFAN CARSTEN
11.05 - 11.55
WORKSHOP: Agricoltura
My shelf and Me: Let’s talk self-censorship in the bookshop (Bookseller-to-bookseller discussion group)
ANAÏS COMBEAU (FR)
Lilosimages
MAIRI OLIVER (UK)
Lighthouse Bookshop/Booksellers Association of UK & Ireland
PRESENTATION: Auditorium
Foresight: Exploring the futures of bookselling
LAURA KARLSSON (FI)
Kirjakauppaliitto ry
PANEL: Artigianato
Building digital learning hubs for booksellers
SHEILA O’REILLY (IE)
Booksellers Association
of UK & Ireland
MARIANNE SLAGTER (NL)
Koninklijke Boekverkopsbond (KBb)
PRESENTATION: Commercio
The Italian Book Market
Paolo Ambrosini (IT)
Italian Booksellers Association - ALI
12.05 - 13.15
Lunch
Sponsored by Libro.fm
13.15 - 14.05
WORKSHOP: Agricoltura
My staff and Me: Let’s talk people management (Bookseller-to-bookseller discussion group)
JULIA NACHT (CH)
Lüthy + Stocker AG
Helen Stanton (UK)
FORUM Books
Nadine Paagman (NL)
Paagman Boekhandels
PRESENTATION: Artigianato
EIBF: Who are we and what do we do?
TORA ÅSLING (BE/SE)
Policy Officer, EIBF
PANEL: Commercio
Focus on public procurement: challenges, opportunities, and best practices
JAN SMEDH (SE)
The English Bookshop
ALEXANDRA CHARROIN-SPANGENBERG (FR)
Syndicat de la Librairie Française
CIAN BYRNE (IE)
The Maynooth Bookshop
Moderated by:
SANNE MUIJSER (NL)
KBb
PANEL: Auditorium
How to create a long-lasting book club
ANJA ÅHLEN (SE)
Bokusgruppen / Akademibokhandeln
RENEE ROWLAND (NZ)
Booksellers Aotearoa NZ
ROB ARAMBASIC (AU)
Brunswick Bound
Moderated by:
LORENZO DALL’OMO (BE/IT)
Policy and Advocacy Assistant, EIBF
14.15 - 15.00
Afternoon keynote
JORGE CABEZAS MONTAÑANA
15.00 - 15.20
Coffee break
Sponsored by Nielsen
15.30 - 16.20
WORKSHOP: Agricoltura
My shop and Me: Let’s talk about failures & challenges (Bookseller-to-bookseller discussion group)
EIJA LIETOFF (SE)
Läslusen
AMANDA TRUMAN (UK)
Truman Books
PANEL: Commercio
How do young booksellers see the future of bookselling?
HANNAH FRISELL (SE)
Minervabokhandeln
LUUK VAN SCHAIK (NL)
Doorgelezen.nl
MAHELI RÜFENACHT (CH)
Obergass Bücher GmbH
Moderated by:
KRISTĪNE PĪKENENA (LV)
Jānis Roze
PANEL: Auditorium
Focus on community initiatives that make a difference
ANGELA TORGERSSON (CA)
McNally Robinson Booksellers
NICOLETTA MALDINI (IT)
Libreria Trame
FREDRIK SVENSSON (SE)
Spongs bokhandel
Moderated by:
IRIS HUNSCHEID (DE)
Buchhandlung Hoffmann / IGUS and Boersenverein
PRESENTATION: Artigianato
Ignite session: one thing that works wonders in your store
JENNIFER JACKSON (AU)
Paper Bird Bookshop
BRITT OP DE LAAK (NL)
Paagman Boekhandels
REBECCA ROBERTS (UK)
Night Owl Books
MARIA MANNING (FR)
Shakespeare and Company
MĂDĂLINA NICOLA (RO)
Cărturești
ANNE VON BESTENBOSTEL (DE)
Bücher von Bestenbostel
ELEONORA TASSONI (IT)
Libreria Rinascita
16.30 - 17.25
End of the day keynote
ESPÉRANCE HAKUZWIMANA
18.30 - 19.30
Drink reception
Sponsored by Gardners
19.30
Dinner
Sponsored by Ingram
Monday 20th April 2026
9.00 - 9.30
Welcome coffee
09.30 - 10.15
Keynote speech
JASMINE DARBAN
10.20 - 11.10
WORKSHOP: Agricoltura
My shelf and Me: Let’s talk self-censorship in the bookshop (Bookseller-to-bookseller discussion group)
ANAÏS COMBEAU (FR)
Lilosimages
MAIRI OLIVER (UK)
Lighthouse Bookshop/
Bookseller Association of the UK
PANEL: Auditorium
Going beyond Western narratives: curating international representation
YOLANDA AUZA GÓMEZ (CO)
Wilborada 1047
PHILIPPE HUNZIKER (GT)
SOPHOS
DULIA LENGEMA (BE)
Librairie Ici Sont Les Lions
Moderated by:
MIRIAM AMINA FOFANA
(BE/DE)
Project and Reasearch Assistant, EIBF
PANEL: Commercio
Going through a successful bookshop succession
CARMEN LEE-STOCKER (CH)
Kulturhaus Bider & Tanner
WILLEMIEN WAGNER
Boekhandel Wagner
MONICA CABELLO (ES)
CEGAL
Moderated by:
SHEILA O’REILLY (IE)
Booksellers Association
of UK & Ireland
PRESENTATION: Artigianato
Everything you need to know about THEMA
NINA STAVISKY (FR)
ALIRE
ADAM HEWSON (UK)
Hewson Books
CHRIS SAYNOR (FR)
EDItEUR
11.10 - 11.30
Coffee break
11.40 - 12.30
WORKSHOP: Agricoltura
My staff and Me: Let’s talk people management (Bookseller-to-bookseller discussion group)
JULIA NACHT (CH)
Lüthy + Stocker AG
PANEL: Commercio
From green practices to long-term resilience: the making of sustainable bookshops
FABRIZIO LOMBARDO (IT)
Librerie Coop
DEBBIE JAMES (UK)
Kibworth Books
IZMARIJ SADAT (NL)
Doorgelezen.nl
Moderated by:
TOMÁS KENNY (IE)
Kenny’s Bookshop
PANEL: Artigianato
Everyone is welcome in the team: ensuring inclusivity and representation in your workforce
KIMBERLY BROCK (US)
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
CARLYNN BAIN (UK)
Afrori Books
STEPHEN DAVIDSON (CA)
The Spaniel’s Tale Bookstore
Moderated by:
FLEUR SINCLAIR (UK)
Sevenoaks Bookshop
PANEL: Auditorium
Reading starts here: reading promotion across the sector
ALEXANDRA HARVANOVÁ (SK)
Kníhkupectvo Na korze
ROXANNE MOREIL (FR)
Librairie l’oiseau tempête
ELENA MARTÍNEZ BLANCO (ES)
Librería Serendipias
Moderated by:
EMMA BRADSHAW (UK)
Booksellers Association
of United Kingdom & Ireland
12.40 - 13.50
Lunch
13.50 - 14.40
WORKSHOP: Agricoltura
My shop and Me: Let’s talk about failures & challenges (Bookseller-to-bookseller discussion group)
EIJA LIETOFF (SE)
Läslusen
PANEL: Auditorium
Bookselling perspectives on AI
CHRISTOPH HÄNNI (CH)
SBVV
FABIAN PAAGMAN (NL)
Paagman Boekhandels
Moderated by:
LAURA KARLSSON (FI)
Kirjakauppaliitto ry
PANEL: Commercio
How to build a diverse and profitable events offer
JAMIE FIOCCO (US)
Flyleaf Books
CARRIE MORRIS (UK)
Booka Bookshop
ANDREEA BARBU (RO)
Cărturești
PRESENTATION: Artigianato
Bookshops under attack: risks, responsibilities, and the power of political engagement
SWEET PEA FLAHERTY (US)
King’s Books
EDWIGE ADJOMALÉ (FR)
Syndicat de la Librairie Française
FREDERIKE SCHUUR (DE)
Sternschnuppe Buchhandlung
Moderated by:
JESSICA SÄNGER (DE)
Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels
14.50 - 15.25
Closing keynote
IVA PEZUASVILI IN CONVERSATION WITH JESSICA SÄNGER
15.25 - 15.35
Closing words and unveiling the 2027 conference location
15.40
Closing drinks
Sponsored by Legami
PANELISTS, WORKSHOP FACILITATORS & MODERATORS
Adam Hewson (He/Him)
Adam Hewson has been bookselling since the mid-1980s, first in independent bookshops then the major chains Waterstones, and Books etc. (Borders UK). Adam did considerable training and staff development. After Borders closed, Adam moved to the RHS, championing books in an industry where books aren’t centre stage. In 2016 Adam and his wife Wendy purchased 2 independent bookshops in South West London. The shops were thriving and had strong reputations and with . Wendy’s display background and Adam’s operational and book knowledge growth was ensured. Adam sits on the Booksellers Association Council.
Alexandra Charroin-Spangenberg (She/Her)
Alexandra Charroin-Spangenberg has been a bookseller for 23 years, starting in youth sections at FNAC and Librairie de Paris in Saint-Étienne. She co-founded a bookshop in Montbrison, later acquiring Librairie de Paris with Rémi Boute. Managing a team of 28, she is active in associations like Chez mon libraire, Libraires ensemble, and the French Booksellers Association, Syndicat de la Librairie Française (SLF), where she has served as President since October 2024. Passionate about her work, she values collaboration and collective intelligence in the bookselling community.
Alexandra Harvanová (She/Her)
Alexandra Harvanová is a dedicated literary advocate and the face behind the independent bookstore Kníhkupectvo Na Korze. Her career spans journalism, cultural production for the European Capital of Culture project, and bookstore management. As an author and organizer, she is best known for her innovative community initiatives, including student reading scholarships and charity book campaigns. Her work focuses on bridging the gap between quality literature and the general public, fostering a vibrant local community of readers.
Amanda Truman (She/Her)
Amanda Truman is the owner of Truman Books - an independent bookshop and cafe in Farsley, West Leeds. After a 20 year career in the travel industry, the pandemic and resulting redundancy prompted a life change, a move from London to Yorkshire and the creation of Truman Books. Five years on and the bookshop is a thriving hub at the heart of the community. Amanda is also co-founder of Farsley Literature Festival - a month-long celebration of all things bookish, attracting authors like Ian Rankin, Kate Mosse and Ben Aaronovitch to the village to share their stories.
Anaïs Combeau (She/Her)
Anaïs Combeau began to work at Lilosimages in 2016 as a bookseller specialised in children's literature and B to B manager. In 2019, she became the co-owner of the bookshop. She is an active member of several French booksellers associations, to promote the added value of the independent bookshops in the book industry.
Andreea Barbu (She/Her)
Andreea Barbu (1989) is a Cultural Marketing & PR Specialist at the Cărturești Bookstore chain in Romania. Based in Bucharest, she began her activity within Cărturești as a bookseller in 2013. Over the past decade, she has progressed through roles as Project Manager and PR & Events Coordinator. Andreea has gained extensive experience in cultural events as an organizer, host, and participant. She holds a PhD in Philology from the University of Bucharest, where her doctoral research explored the intersection of secularization and modernity.
Angela Tongerson (She/Her)
Angela Torgerson is the Executive Manager at McNally Robinson Booksellers, Canada's largest independent bookstore overseeing the management of MRB's three retail locations as well as a wholesale division. Angela has been a Bookseller for 15 years and is a voracious reader and avid supporter of Canadian Literature. Angela especially enjoys hosting author events, handselling books and seeing our youngest customers grow up as readers and become the next generation of Booksellers.
Anja Åhlen (She/Her)
Anja Åhlén is the Regional Manager responsible for the largest bookstores within Sweden’s leading bookstore chain, Akademibokhandeln. She began her career with the company in the mid-1990s after graduating from the Bookstore Management Program at the University of Borås. Anja is known for her commitment to continuous development and her ability to embrace new challenges. Her work is guided by a strong passion for people, leadership, and the world of books and stationery.
Anne von Bestenbostel (She/Her)
Anne von Bestenbostel (52) is the owner of Bücher von Bestenbostel, the only bookstore in her hometown Nordenham. Her grandmother founded it in 1919, and she’s a happy heir of that brave woman. Anne offers all kinds of activities and service in her community and loves networking. Because there are fewer and fewer passersby and shops downtown, the bookstore offers to spend time (and money) in the store after the doors close.
Britt op de Laak (She/Her)
Britt op de Laak has been part of the Paagman team for almost nine years and holds a degree in Literary Studies. Encouraging people to read is both her professional focus and personal mission. Her work combines creative content with social impact, from contributing to Paagman’s annual magazine Present, packed with book recommendations, to developing projects that promote reading in schools. She founded the Book of the Month team as a colleague-based reading club and co-hosts the Paagman Tipt Boeken podcast, where booksellers discuss recent recommendations.
Carmen Lee-Stocker (She/Her)
Carmen Lee-Stocker was born in Bern in 1989. She studied theatre studies, dance studies and musicology at the Universities of Bern and Vienna, completing her master's degree in Bern in 2016. She worked as a cultural journalist in Basel and in opera dramaturgy at various theatres in Switzerland and Germany. In 2019, she completed a career changer course in the book trade offered by the Swiss Booksellers and Publishers Association (SBVV). For more than ten years, she has worked at the Kulturhaus Bider & Tanner in Basel. She is the head of the marketing and communications department and a member of the management team. She is married and has one daughter.
Carrie Morris (She/Her)
Formerly a primary school teacher, Carrie opened Booka Bookshop in Oswestry, with her husband Tim in October 2009. Named Independent Bookshop of the Year in 2015, Booka has built a national reputation for hosting a wide and varied range of author events, attracting a mix of bestselling authors, celebrities and the best new writers to Oswestry and now also to Booka Bridgnorth. Carrie believes that bookshops are cultural assets on our High Streets that can empower everyone to live a life made better through books. For two years, she chaired the Booksellers Association Children’s Bookselling Group and now sits on the Booksellers Association Divisional Board.
Chris Saynor (He/Him)
Chris Saynor works for EDItEUR, the international standards body responsible for book supply chain standards like ONIX and Thema. He joined the organisation in late 2016. Prior to that he worked for a company in Paris creating metadata solutions and websites for publishers. Previously he worked for many years as a bookseller, first in the UK for Waterstones, then in Paris for Shakespeare & Co and W.H. Smith. He originally started training as a librarian but preferred the world of bookselling.
Christoph Hänni (He/Him)
Christoph Hänni is head of the education department at the Swiss Booksellers and Publishers Association since March 2024. Among other things, he organizes courses on AI and has noticed a growing interest in this topic. The apprenticeship program for booksellers in Switzerland is currently being revised, and AI is also being included as a topic of discussion. Previously, Christoph worked as co-branch manager of a bilingual (German/French) bookstore.
Cian Byrne (He/Him)
Cian Byrne is a second-generation bookseller from Maynooth, Ireland. He joined his family business in 2017. Since joining the company, he has led the expansion from the original two shops to four, both of which were won through competitive public tenders. In his two university bookshops, he has won public contracts to supply branded merchandise. Since the introduction of free schoolbooks in Ireland in 2022, Cian has doubled the schoolbook supply part of the business through public procurement. He was named as one of The Bookseller Magazine’s Rising Stars in 2024. Cian is the current Chair of Bookselling Ireland.
Debbie James (She/Her)
Debbie opened Kibworth Books in 2009 after a career in music. Over the years, she has twice expanded the bookshop to include a secondhand and antiquarian book space and a bespoke Children’s Book Room. Debbie sits on the Divisional and Group Boards at the Booksellers Association of the UK & Ireland (BA) and was elected as their co-vice president in 2022. She became BA President in March 2026 and her key areas of interest are wellbeing and sustainability. She’s a keen supporter of the BA’s coaching project, was a founding member of the Sustainable Bookselling Group and also sits on the Sustainable Industry Forum and the Book Industry Communication’s Green Supply Chain Committee.
Dulia Lengema (He/Him)
Dulia Lengema has been a bookseller for nearly ten years, specializing in the humanities. Since 2018, he has worked as a roving bookseller, collaborating with various publishing fairs and bookstores.
He is the creator and host of “Des Mots D’Éditeurs” (“Publishers’ Words”), a traveling literary series that, once a month, highlights the often-overlooked work of independent publishers.
He also founded a temporary bookstore dedicated to African literature and its diasporas, called Ici Sont Les Lions. The shop offers books in a wide range of languages, including French, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Lingala, Swahili, Polish, Ciluba, Arabic, and Wolof.
Edwige Adjomalé (She/Her)
Edwige Adjomalé is a legal affairs officer at the Syndicat de la Librairie Française (French Booksellers’ Union). Specializing in the law of creation and innovation, she spent a decade working as a legal expert in the audiovisual production sector.
She joined the union’s team a year ago, where she supports bookstores in navigating regulatory challenges and addressing legal issues related to their activities.
She has a particular interest in the role of bookstores as spaces for the dissemination of ideas, and in the forms of engagement they embody within public debate.
Eija Lietoff (She/Her)
Eija Lietoff owns and runs Läslusen (“The Bookworm”) a specialized children’s bookshop in Uppsala, Sweden. Since the 1990s, Läslusen has been a dedicated space for children’s literature. The collection of new and second hand books is curated with a highly personal touch. Eija actively reaches out to the community through collaborations, school visits, and a regular children’s book column in the local magazine. Her goal has always been to find the right book for every child, and personalized book subscriptions are also available to order online. The aim is to show that Läslusen can be your local children’s bookshop no matter where you live.
Elena Martínez Blanco (She/Her)
Elena Martínez Blanco is a bookseller in Tres Cantos, Madrid (Spain), where she owns two bookshops called Librería Serendipias. She is also a children and young adults published author and recently an editor of her own publishing house Serendipias de tinta. Although in her bookshops she sells books for all ages, she specializes in children, young adult and new adult literature. She is always imagining new ways of making people love books and to make them want to visit her bookshops.
She organizes FestiLIJ3C, (International Children and Young Adult literature in Tres Cantos), the most important festival of its kind in Spain, and also FestiLIJ Aridane, which happens in the La Palma isle in the Canary Islands, where she started organizing it after the volcano erupted in 2021 to provide children in the affected areas with the joy of stories to forget for a little while the sadness that surrounded them after the lava destroyed their homes and schools.
Eleonora Tassoni (She/Her)
Eleonora spent 15 years as a bookseller at the RINASCITA bookshop in Ascoli Piceno, specialising in event management and the organisation of reading promotion initiatives.
In 2023, she was awarded the Perren Scholarship for a stage at Waterstones on Gower Street in London. That same year, Eleonora participated in the RISE Programme and was a guest at the TERTULIA bookshop in Westport, Ireland. She is also a certified "Nati per Leggere" bookseller.
After graduating in philosophy, Eleonora completed a Master’s degree in Management of Cultural Institutions and the Third Sector to further develop her skills in managing the bookstore’s cultural activities.
Emma Bradshaw (She/Her)
Emma Bradshaw began her career as a bookseller at Ottakar's before moving to the publicity department at HarperCollins Children's Books. She joined the Bloomsbury Children’s Books team in 2007, where she worked for almost 11 years as Senior Publicity Manager. In July 2018 Emma took up her current role as Head of Marketing and Communications at the Booksellers Association of the UK and Ireland. Emma and her team look after all of the Books Are My Bag consumer-facing campaigns, including Bookshop Day, the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards, Indie Book of the Month, the Indie Book Awards and Independent Bookshop Week.
Fabian Paagman (He/Him)
Fabian Paagman (49) has been involved in the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) since 2012, currently in the position of President. He is the Managing Director of Paagman bookstores in The Netherlands: a group of five bookstores in the region of The Hague. Together with his sister, he forms the third generation of owners of this family-business that was founded over 70 years ago. Together with his wife and two children, he lives and works in The Hague, The Netherlands.
Fabrizio Lombardo (He/Him)
Fabrizio Lombardo studied at the University of Bologna. From 1991 to 2004, he worked in the large‑scale retail sector for Coop Adriatica, where he was responsible for both commercial management and store operations in the non‑food division.
In 2005, he launched the librerie.coop project, overseeing its development and management, both on the commercial side and in human resources.
Since 2015, he has served as Chief Operating Officer of librerie.coop.
He is a member of the board of ALI – Associazione Librai Italiani and, since 2024, has been part of the Scientific Committee of the Scuola Librai Italiani, where he also teaches.
Since 2015, he has served as Chief Operating Officer of librerie.coop.
He is a member of the board of ALI – Associazione Librai Italiani and, since 2024, has been part of the Scientific Committee of the Scuola Librai Italiani, where he also teaches.
Frederike Schuur (She/Her)
Frederike Schuur is a bookseller at Sternschnuppe Buchhandlung, an independent bookstore in Hanover, Germany, which was recently awarded the Deutscher Buchhandlungspreis for the fourth time — a prize that sparked a nationwide debate about political interference in cultural funding. In 2024, she initiated the first German Bookstore Crawl, bringing together 12 bookstores in a collaborative celebration of independent bookselling. She holds an M.A. in Literature and currently also works as a teacher of German as a second language.
Fredrik Svensson (He/Him)
Fredrik Svensson is co-owner of Spongs Bokhandel in Karlskoga, Sweden. After many years in the business world, a longing grew – to create something more local, more vibrant. Something that really means something. When the opportunity to take over a bookstore arose, it was the start of a joint journey for Fredrik Svensson and Linda Björnberg. What started as an idea quickly became a joint project, where they combined Fredrik’s business drive with Linda’s sense of literature, people and culture. Together they have developed the bookstore into more than just a store – a place where people meet, talk and find new worlds.
Hannah Frisell (She/Her)
Hannah Frisell is the owner and CEO of Minervabokhandeln in Kristinehamn, Sweden. While completing her degrees in literary science and the library and information sciences, she worked as a project manager in rural and regional development, as well as a cultural events coordinator, before becoming the owner of her local bookstore in 2021. She strives to make her bookstore a welcoming and inclusive meeting place, with a special focus on book related events and the queer community.
Helen Stanton (She/Her)
Helen Stanton owns and runs three independent bookshops in the North East of England - FORUM Books, Corbridge / the bound, Whitley Bay / The Accidental Bookshop, Alnwick. Additionally ‘permanent pop-up’ – The Book Room – at The Biscuit Factory in Newcastle. Her bookselling career began with Hatchards then Waterstones, from there moving into publishing, taking up sales & marketing roles at Headline, Canongate and Birlinn in Edinburgh. Being seriously addicted to bookshops and running her own independent bookshops is the dream - what a time to be a bookseller!
Iris Hunscheid (She/Her)
Iris Hunscheid (53) is working in the bookselling business since 2001, when she started as a trainee in an independent bookstore. She has been working in different independent and chain stores for a few years before she opened up her own bookstore in 2006 together with her husband, Buchhandlung Hoffmann in Achim. In 2014 they added a second store to their own little bookshop chain by taking over Buchhandlung Jost, a traditional independent bookshop in Bonn.
Besides her everyday routines in the shops she is also engaged at EIBF and at Boersenverein, the German BA, where she represents the interests of the independent booksellers.
Izmarij Sadat (He/Him)
Izmarij Sadat is part of Doorgelezen, founded in 2021 by two sixteen-year-old book lovers who believed great stories should never disappear. What began with collecting secondhand books evolved into an independent Dutch book company focused on curated and hard-to-find titles. We search beyond the obvious, sourcing books that are no longer easily available and connecting them with the right readers through our online platforms. At the same time, our pop-up children’s book markets bring the joy of discovering books directly into primary schools. We don’t aim to sell the most books, we aim to help the right ones find their way home.
Jamie Fiocco (She/Her)
Jamie Fiocco founded Flyleaf Books (Chapel Hill, NC, USA) with her husband Michael Fiocco in 2009 after over a decade in publishing sales and marketing. Flyleaf Books-- regularly named best bookstore in the region-- features both new and used inventory and hosts hundreds of author events annually. Jamie is a past Board President of the American Booksellers Association and the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance.
Jan Smedh (He/Him)
Jan Smedh is the co-founder and owner of The English Bookshop in Uppsala, Stockholm and Gothenburg in Sweden. The original shop started in 1995 in Uppsala and won the Bookstore of the Year award at the London Bookfair in 2018. The idea has always been for the bookstores to be strongly grounded in their communities and to compete with quality, curation, service and events. Jan is on the board of the Svenska Bokhandlareföreningen (Swedish Booksellers Association).
Jennifer Jackson (She/Her)
Jennifer Jackson is a child psychoanalytic psychotherapist and owner of Paper Bird Children's Bookshop. She opened the store 10 years ago in Fremantle-Perth, the most remote city in the world. It is internationally renowned as a destination bookshop for the magical experience of climbing through the Narnia Wardrobe among a wonderland of fascinating books. All kids, no matter how small, are taken seriously, from selecting a book, to writing and illustrating their own stories through workshops. Jennifer sees children's access to literature as a human right and the preventative medicine arm of her clinical practice located in the same building.
Jessica Sänger (She/Her)
Dr. Jessica Sänger is Director for European and International Affairs at Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German publishers and booksellers association). Ms. Sänger joined Börsenverein in 2008 where she was Deputy Head of the Legal Department from 2011. She studied Law at Exeter and Mainz, and trained for the bar in Mainz, from where she also received her Doctorate in law. Previous roles include a period as trainee case handler at the European Commission’s DG COMP (Media Unit) and management of an LL.M programme in Media Law. Ms. Sänger has been a visiting lecturer at Louisville and Bristol law schools for copyright, free speech, constitutional law, and law of broadcasting and the press.
Julia Nacht (She/Her)
Julia Nacht is a bookseller and event manager from Switzerland with experience in leading and organizing book events.
Kristīne Pīkenena (She/Her)
Kristīne Pīkenena has been a bookseller at Jānis Roze for more than a decade. She uses her knowledge and expertise to educate and fascinate readers through multiple social media platforms by being the Harshest Book Blogger in the country. As a bookstagrammer, podcaster and professional bookclubber, she rarely shies away from difficult topics, unpopular opinions and hard truths, but will never forget to have fun while doing it. Bookselling is her mission to save the world, one book at a time. She is happy to live in Latvia with her husband and two kids.
Laura Karlsson (She/Her)
Director of Finnish Booksellers Association. 25+ years of experience on book branch from different points of view: retail, publishing, producing, lobbying, entrepreneurship. Has been responsible for several national campaigns promoting reading and literature in Finland as well as Helsinki book fair and Finlandia-prize.
Luuk van Schaijk (He/Him)
Luuk van Schaijk is part of Doorgelezen, founded in 2021 by two sixteen-year-old book lovers who believed great stories should never disappear. What began with collecting secondhand books evolved into an independent Dutch book company focused on curated and hard-to-find titles. We search beyond the obvious, sourcing books that are no longer easily available and connecting them with the right readers through our online platforms. At the same time, our pop-up children’s book markets bring the joy of discovering books directly into primary schools. We don’t aim to sell the most books, we aim to help the right ones find their way home.
Madalina Nicola (She/Her)
Madalina Nicola is a bookstore manager for Carturesti in Bucharest. Besides being a librarian, she is an actress by trade. Throughout her life, she has been drawn to art in all its forms, and her love for books led her to the magical world of theatre. In her artistic activity, she has worked mostly with children, which has helped her develop her creativity and improvisational skills which she uses daily in her work with books and her fellow librarians.
Mairi Oliver (She/Her)
Mairi Oliver runs the award-winning Lighthouse: Edinburgh's Radical Bookshop; a queer, feminist, anti-racist community bookshop that hosts Edinburgh's annual Book Fringe and Radical Book Fair. She's worked in the book trade for over a decade in the UK and Australia, opening Lighthouse in 2017, a reincarnation of the Word Power bookshop that had first opened in Edinburgh's Southside in 1994. Mairi is Vice President of the Bookseller Association and organises with collectives such as Fossil Free Books, and the Alliance of Radical Booksellers, including overseeing their Bread & Roses Award for radical publishing.
Maheli Rüfenacht (She/Her)
Maheli Rüfenacht is a bookseller from Winterthur, Switzerland. She is a member of the management team at Obergass Bücher GmbH, a small independent bookshop that has been in business since 1999. She also works as a chief examiner and author, responsible for organising and developing the practical final exams at the end of the apprenticeship. Her free time is mainly taken up by her daughter, with whom she loves to dive into the world of books. Apart from this she's a passionate reader and knitter.
Maria Manning (She/Her)
Maria has worked in bookselling since 2014. She completed a PhD in Contemporary Literature with a focus on Poetry in Performance in 2023 and currently works as an assistant manager in Shakespeare and Company, Paris. She is particularly interested in contemporary fiction and essay collections.
Marianne Slagter (She/Her)
Marianne has been working in the book trade since 1988. She has worked as a store manager in both brick-and-mortar and online bookstores, held marketing and sales roles at several publishing houses, and led the purchasing team of a major bookstore chain.
In early 2024, Marianne joined the Royal Booksellers Association as Strategic Manager. Together with colleagues, she is committed to creating a strong and sustainable business environment for bookstores. As there had previously been no formal training pathway for booksellers in the Netherlands, Marianne relaunched this programme in 2025. In addition to an e-learning programme on bookselling expertise, they now offer a Masterclass in Entrepreneurship and a range of in-company safety training programmes.
Meryl Halls (She/Her)
Meryl Halls has been the Managing Director of the Booksellers Association since April 2018. Her career at the BA began with event and conference management. She later became Head of Membership Services, responsible for establishing programmes and campaigns, including the Independent Booksellers Forum, Independent Bookshop Week, the Books Are My Bag campaign, the Children’s and Christian Bookselling Groups, Irish and Scottish initiatives and other BA events. She is Vice Chair of the Independent Retailers Confederation, Policy Board Member of the British Retail Consortium, Executive Committee member of EIBF and a Trustee of World Book Day.
Miriam Amina Fofana (She/Her)
Miriam Amina Fofana, born in 1999 in Düsseldorf, works as a Project and Research Assistant at EIBF, focusing on RISE deliverables and providing support in research activities and contributing to broader team initiatives. Prior to joining EIBF, she studied political science and cultural studies in the Netherlands and France, specializing in the representation of otherness and the development of representation and inclusion strategies within the contemporary European cultural sector.
Mónica Cabello (She/Her)
After several years working in financial departments across banking and the third sector, Mónica Cabello joined CEGAL (the Spanish Confederation of Guilds and Associations of Bookstores) in 2021 as an Area Manager. In this role, she coordinates CEGAL's technical area, which includes TodosTusLibros.com, Cegal en Red and LibriRed. Beyond the technical scope, she also oversees some of CEGAL’s key cultural events, such as the Spanish Bookstore Congress or the TodosTusLibros Awards.
Nadine Paagman (She/Her)
Nadine Paagman, 44 years old, was born and raised in The Hague, The Netherlands. Proud mother of two, sharing her home with a cat and a dog.
After high school, Nadine began working in her family business, Paagman. What started as helping out in the company grew into a deep passion for entrepreneurship. Together with her brother, Fabian, she took over the business from their father and continues to build its future.
With strong family values and a love for books and retail, Nadine is committed to growing Paagman every day.
Nicoletta Maldini (She/Her)
Nicoletta Maldini, born in Bologna in 1961, is a reader since 1965, and a bookseller since 1990, loves cinema and collaborates with Neu radio talking about books and events every Friday afternoon.
Nina Stavisky (She/Her)
Nina Stavisky was originally a bookseller, although she has not worked in a shop for the last fifteen years. She has specialised in computerised stock management by working for several IT service providers, for the Syndicat de la librairie française and now for ALIRE, of which she is the General Delegate. ALIRE brings together French-speaking booksellers who share the same objective: to develop the use of efficient IT tools, supplied with reliable, up-to-date information at controlled costs.
Paolo Ambrosini (He/Him)
Paolo Ambrosini, a Verona native, is a bookseller by trade, starting his career in his family’s bookshop in 1986. He is currently the president of the Italian Bookseller Association (Ali Confcommercio), a post he holds since 2017. He is also a member of the scientific council for the Centre of the Book and Reading and the federal council of Confcommercio, Italy’s biggest federation of industries.
Philippe Hunziker (He/Him)
Philippe Hunziker is General Manager of SOPHOS in Guatemala, a bookshop that has become a cultural and bookselling reference in Central America, because of its bibliographical selection and copious cultural agenda. He has participated in several forums dedicated to the book world and has written articles for industry media. In 2016, he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in the Chevalier grade by France’s Minister of Culture. From 2018 to 2021, he was President of the Asociación Gremial de Editores de Guatemala and from 2018 to 2024, Vice President of the Grupo Iberoamericano de Editores. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Centroamérica Cuenta literary festival. He is cofounder and president since 2025 of Fundación SOPHOS, responsible for managing La Teca, biblioteca para todos, in Guatemala City 's downtown.
Rebecca Roberts (She/Her)
Rebecca Roberts is the founder of Night Owl Books, an independent bookshop in East Linton, Scotland, which she opened in 2022. As a teenager she worked at White Rose Books, Thirsk, before studying French and Italian at the University of Cambridge. After completing an MA in Art History at the Courtauld Institute, she managed specialist bookshop Thomas Heneage Art Books in Mayfair from 2012 to 2014, and managed a contemporary art gallery in Chelsea from 2014 to 2020. She has been a Reading Challenge Ambassador for the International Booker Prize, and Chair of the Judges for the Indie Book Awards.
Renée Rowland (She/Her)
Renée is the owner of two provincial bookshops in South Canterbury, New Zealand and also the Association Manager for the New Zealand Booksellers Association.
Rob Arambasic (He/Him)
Rob has been a bookseller for 19 years after opening Brunswick Bound with his wife Susie in 2007. Brunswick Bound is an independent bookshop on the high street of Inner Melbourne that was created for the local community, however it also has patronage from many visitors to the area.
Roxane Moreil (She/Her)
After ten years as a bookseller in several bookstores in Paris, Nantes and Arles, Roxanne Moreil created L’oiseau tempête, a generalist bookshop located in Saint-Nazaire. Since 2021 she run the store with her business partner Quentin Quellien and beside, works as a bookseller trainer at university. She also write graphic novels and has published, L’age d’or, with Cyril Pedrosa (dupuis) and Elsie A with Karine Bernadou (dargaud)
Sanne Muijser (He/Him)
Since 2023, Sanne is Director of the Royal Booksellers Association (KBb) and Boekenbon NV (book vouchers) in the Netherlands. Sanne is an experienced association director and worker, prior to joining the KBb, for a number of trade associations, including the gaming and casino sector and other retail and industrial sectors. Above all he is a big fan of bookstores and is thrilled to be part of the bookselling community.
Sheila O’Reilly (She/Her)
Sheila O’Reilly is Project Manager for the Booksellers Association’s Learning & Development Platform, the Skills Hub. She also mentors’ independent bookshops across the UK and Ireland. Sheila is on the board of the European and International Booksellers Federation and is a non-executive director Batch, a subsidiary of the Booksellers Association of. Sheila is a seasoned book industry professional with over 35 years’ experience. In 1995, while running the customer service department for a leading US publisher, she launched an online bookshop, specializing in audiobooks. She went onto own three award-winning independent bookshops in London before moving home to Ireland in 2018.
sweet pea Flaherty (They/Them)
sweet pea Flaherty is the owner of King's Books in Tacoma, WA. They've been a bookseller since 2000, having previously worked at A Room of One's Own in Madison, WI. sweet pea moved to Tacoma to work at King's in 2003 and bought the store in 2010. King's Books is a community-centered bookstore with 15 book clubs and 2 bookstore cats. sweet pea is the co-founder of the Tacoma Wayzgoose letterpress festival, since 2005, and the Banned Book Club, since 2006.
Tomás Kenny (He/Him)
Tomás Kenny is the Managing Director of Kenny’s Bookshop and Art Gallery in Galway and represents the third generation of the Kenny family to run the independent bookshop. He has worked in the shop for over 25 years. He has led a period of sustained and successful growth of both the online business and the physical retail space. He has published widely on local history and has been a judge for the Irish Book Awards.
Tora Åsling (She/Her)
Tora Åsling is since 2022 Policy Officer at the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF), where she advocates for more book friendly policies across Europe and globally. A passion for books, European history, culture, and politics led Tora to pursue a joint honours degree in European Studies and English Literature from Lund University, Sweden. Before joining EIBF, she gained experience in EU affairs through traineeships at the European Parliament and a Swedish representative office in Brussels.
Willemien Wagner (She/Her)
I’m Willemien Wagner. I am married and we have three beautiful daughters. Boekhandel Wagner was founded in 1967 by my parents in Sassenheim, a village with 17,000 inhabitants in the Bollenstreek region of the Netherlands. As a child, I always worked in the shop and later worked in all areas of the book trade, from printing and publishing to sales. I have been the owner of the bookshop since 2010. With almost 60 years of experience in the trade, we are a household name in the Bollenstreek region. Together with a small but strong team, we organise many activities in the shop and far beyond, which are appreciated by our customers.
Yolanda Auza Gómez (She/Her)
Yolanda Auza Gómez is a cultural entrepreneur and founder of Casa Librería Wilborada 1047 in Bogotá, an independent bookstore recognized for its outstanding curation, the expertise and warmth of its booksellers, and its innovative cultural programming. With a background in systems engineering and information technology, Yolanda Auza Gómez brings a unique perspective to fostering inclusive and vibrant literary spaces. Honored among Latin America’s top businesswomen by Latin Business Chronicle and Latinvex, Yolanda Auza Gómez is committed to advancing the role of bookstores as cultural and community hubs.
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RISE Bookselling is a network project organized by the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) and co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
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