Julie Willis: Editorial Director & Systems Lead
Julie has worked in publishing for 26 years, following a career in public relations in which her clients included First Great Western and British Telecom.
She has a postgraduate diploma in magazine journalism and worked for PR Week before working in PR.
She joined the team at the University of Exeter Press after relocating to South-West England before moving on to lead a team of 20 production editors and managers, working for clients including Taylor & Francis, The British Museum, SAGE, and ICE (The Chartered Institute of Civil Engineers).
During this time she worked with suppliers to improve pre-editing software and online copyediting and proofing platforms, alongside other roles including human resources, accounts, book and journal project management and business development.
She set up River Editorial in 2020 with Rosie Stewart and continues to manage accounts for book and journal publishers, along with clients outside the publishing industry. She has a role in new business procurement and is a member of Westchester's software development focus group.
Her most recent qualification is a Chartered Management Institute (CMI) award in management and leadership.
River Editorial was acquired by Westchester Publishing Services UK Ltd in March 2021.
Juliet Smith: Senior Project Manager
Juliet has worked in publishing for over 30 years at senior management level in the law, academic, education and professional publishing sectors. She has delivered projects including books, professional magazines, trade journals, software and websites. She has also worked within medical communications, managing the production and quality control teams for a leading, global agency, and is an experienced medical editor.
Juliet has a degree in Law and English and began her publishing career as a desk editor for Butterworths Law/Lexis Nexis. She worked in-house for a range of publishers, building a broad knowledge base, before setting up her own company and working as a freelance editor and project manager. She joined the team at WPS (UK) in 2024.
Grace Weir: Project Manager
Grace works as project manager, where she brings a background in copyediting and proofreading to the management of journals and books. Originally from the US, Grace graduated summa cum laude from Drake University with degrees in History and Sociology. In 2020, she moved to Scotland to pursue a postgraduate degree in publishing from the University of Stirling, joining the Westchester Publishing team in 2022.
Since joining the team, Grace has taken on the management of various journals, working closely with freelancers and authors to create quality, cohesive material. At Westchester, Grace has had the opportunity to spearhead developmental projects and engage with the wider publishing community. As project manager, she works with a range of clients and appreciates the variety that each day brings.
Rebecca Durose-Croft: Managing Director, Westchester Education
Rebecca Durose-Croft, Managing Director, Education, oversees the development of our UK and international education projects. Rebecca brings a wealth of experience in Educational Publishing, having previously worked in Editorial and Project Management roles for Oxford University Press, Pearson Education, Cambridge University Press, and Marshall Cavendish. Rebecca has worked across print, digital, and online platforms and has extensive knowledge of UK and international curricula.
Christober Masilamani: Managing Director, Chennai
Christober is the Managing Director of Westchester Publishing Services’ wholly owned production facility in Chennai, India. He began his career as a 3B2 typesetter and later broadened his knowledge to work in all areas of publishing. Due to his passion for technology, Christober decided to focus his career on software development. Christober joined Westchester in 2013 as a senior software engineer and during his time here has spearheaded many technological initiatives to strengthen the operations. In 2020, he was promoted to Assistant General Manager, overseeing operations for digital conversion services. In 2021, Christober was promoted again to Director of Operations, with additional responsibility for the Journals and Technology division. He continues to work closely with members of the management teams in the US, UK, and India, to identify and develop innovative solutions to streamline workflows for publishers.
Tyler Carey: Chief Revenue Officer, USA
Tyler joined Westchester in 2014 and is responsible for generating new revenue and strengthening the relationships with Westchester’s US clients. Tyler’s technical expertise combined with his people skills enable him to thoroughly understand his client’s objectives, helping them secure the best solution to meet their needs. Key Westchester partners supported by Tyler include American Society for Microbiology, Crooked Lane, The MIT Press, Twelve Tables Press, and Brookings Institution Press.
Tyler has worked in publishing and technology for over 20 years, with a background that includes working at Wolters-Kluwer and Harris Connect. He has held roles in account management, sales, marketing, product development, social media management, and technology consulting.
Get in touch to discuss your publishing programme and how Westchester Publishing Services UK can assist with your pre-press needs.