Meet the Child's Play Team!

Neil Burden

Publisher/CEO

Neil has been publisher and CEO of Child's Play for more than 20 years. He is responsible for the day-to-day running of the entire company, and for the publishing programme itself. Having trained and worked initially as a teacher, his career in children's publishing spans over 40 years. 

Paul Gerrish

Sales Manager (Trade and Export)

Paul has been with Child's Play for as long as he can remember! He handles trade accounts and all export sales, as well as shipping requirements.

Nicola Gardner

Accounts and Order Processing Manager

Nicola has worked for Child's Play for 30 years and is responsible for the inputting of data for all aspects of the accounting and ordering system. 

Annie Kubler

Art Director

Annie Kubler was born in the north east of France, in a mountainous area called the Vosges, where she spent her childhood. After studying Visual Communication at the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg, she moved to England in 1985 joining the Child’s Play team led at the time by its founder Michael Twinn. For 40 years she has been their art director while also illustrating many books. Extremely proud to have played a part in building the inclusive and diverse Child's Play list, she hopes to have inspired many children in their reading journey. She now lives in the north west of the UK, close to wild and wonderful landscapes that she loves to explore on foot or on two wheels. 

Sarah Dellow

Designer 

Sarah is a Graphic Design graduate and a member of the editorial team. She has a passion for illustration, typography, and promoting inclusivity, which she incorporates into her work in book production and project management. Sarah has illustrated a number of Child's Play books including the Now You See It! series.

Kayleigh Gough

Designer

Kayleigh has a degree in Graphic Design, also earned an MA in Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking where she specialised in screen and letterpress print. As part of the editorial team she works closely with Annie and Sarah with all areas of layout and book design, both inside and out. 

Kelsea Jefferies 

Marketing Coordinator  

Kelsea’s role ranges from managing our advertising and marketing campaigns, the website and assisting with social media content creation. She works closely with organisations that share and support the Child’s Play ethos of inclusive practice, such as BookTrust, ITV Signed Stories, and the National Centre for Language and Literacy. She also has a degree in Creative Writing and Publishing.

Claire Matthews

Production Controller

Claire takes care of the day-to-day running of a busy production schedule, ensuring that books are manufactured on time and to the highest standards possible. 

Linda Mazzotta

Warehouse Operative

Linda has worked in the Child's Play warehouse for over 30 years. She carries out all aspects of warehouse work: picking, packing and dispatching orders as well as numerous other tasks. She has a forklift licence. 

David Tomes

Warehouse Operative

David is an established member of our warehouse team. He carries out all aspects of warehouse work: picking, packing and dispatching orders; organising stock; preparing and dispatching export orders and setting up exhibitions. He also has a forklift licence. 



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