BISG Renames Industry Champion Award in Honor of Former Executive Director Brian F. O’Leary
The Book Industry Study Group (BISG) announced that its Industry Champion Award has been renamed the Brian F. O’Leary Industry Champion Award, honoring the organization’s longtime Executive Director and his contributions to BISG and the book publishing industry.
The announcement was made September 16 at BISG@50: Book Publishing Next Forum & Anniversary Celebration at The New York Historical in New York City. O’Leary, who served as BISG’s Executive Director for ten years before retiring on June 30, was invited to the stage by BISG Board member Ashley Gordon and presented with a commemorative certificate marking the renaming.
The Industry Champion Award recognizes an individual whose efforts have advanced the publishing industry as a whole. By placing O’Leary’s name on the award, BISG recognizes a legacy defined by bringing together people from across the book industry to address shared challenges, strengthen standards and best practices, and develop solutions that benefit the broader publishing ecosystem.
“Brian understood that BISG’s greatest strength is its ability to bring people with different perspectives and expertise to the same table and give them the space to solve problems together,” said Allison Belan, Executive Director of BISG. “For ten years, he challenged this organization—and the industry—to look closely at how our systems work, ask how they could work better, and then do the collaborative work required to make meaningful progress. Naming the Industry Champion Award in his honor is a fitting and lasting recognition of the impact he has had on BISG and book publishing.”
During his tenure, O’Leary guided BISG through a period of significant change in publishing while reinforcing the organization’s role as a neutral forum for cross-industry collaboration. His work culminated in the launch of Book Publishing Next, an initiative designed to focus industry-wide consideration of and commitment to transforming the book publishing supply chain to meet the current and future needs.
That work provided the foundation for much of the conversation at BISG@50, where leaders from across publishing, manufacturing, distribution, retail, technology, and other industry segments examined opportunities to improve forecasting, planning, data use, and collaboration across the supply chain.
In accepting the honor, O’Leary said, “I want to share this with the many volunteers who staff make our work possible. Our committee and working group chairs deserve special recognition, as they truly are champions for this industry, dedicating time and resolve to address some of the most pressing problems we face.”
“Brian, it is difficult to imagine anyone who better embodies the spirit of this award,” Gordon said in announcing the honor. “This recognition comes with our enormous gratitude—not only for what you accomplished during your ten years leading BISG, but for the foundation you helped build for everything that comes next.”
The newly named Brian F. O’Leary Industry Champion Award will continue to recognize individuals whose work advances the publishing industry as a whole. Kris Kliemann, longtime chair of BISG’s Rights Committee, was named the 2026 recipient earlier in the BISG@50 program.