Acclaimed journalist Kathy Bail has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of UNSW Press.

Kathy will be just the fifth person to manage the Press since it began in 1962. She replaces Robin Derricourt who is retiring in February after 13 years.

A highly accomplished journalist and manager in the magazine industry, for the past three years Bail has been editor of The Australian Financial Review Magazine. She has also been editor of The Bulletin, HQ Magazine and of the Australian edition of Rolling Stone.

She was a board director of Melbourne University Publishing from 2003 to 2006, and editor of D.I.Y Feminism, published by Allen&Unwin in 1996.

"I'm thrilled to get the opportunity to lead this well established and highly regarded publishing company in 2010," she says. "And I'm looking forward to working closely with the staff and students of UNSW, as well as building the profile of UNSW Press beyond the university community. It's an exciting time to move into publishing - whatever form books might take - and deal with the main issues of our time."

UNSW Press is now one of Australia's largest independent publishers, with a multi-award winning list of non-fiction titles.

Media contact: Matt Howard, Publicist, NewSouth Books, 9664 0902