Announcing Changes to Pearson Executive Leadership Team

Below is a message that I shared today with our Pearson colleagues around the world. I wanted to share it with our wider community, too.

Dear colleagues, 

I am very pleased to share the news that Cinthia Granzo Nespoli, Senior Vice President, International, Legal and Corporate Affairs, will be our new Chief Legal Officer. She was selected from a very strong field of internal candidates. Cinthia will be based out of our 80 Strand office in London, reporting directly to me and joining the Pearson Executive Management team. Cinthia is a fantastic successor to Bjarne Tellmann, who is stepping down at the beginning of July to take on an important new role at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), one of the world’s leading healthcare companies. 

For those of you who don’t already know Cinthia, she is highly respected for her integrity, strong work ethic, and caring deeply about her colleagues. She brings sixteen years of legal experience, working at multinational companies, leading and developing high-performing global teams, and handling complex legal and reputational matters. For the past four years, she has also led our International Corporate Affairs team, managing our corporate brand and reputation in numerous markets around the world.   

Cinthia joined Pearson in 2014, as part of the Grupo Multi acquisition, where she was the Head of Legal and Franchising. Prior to that, she held leadership positions in the manufacturing sector at multinational companies. She earned her law degree from Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas and a post-graduate degree in tax law from Pontifícia Universidade Católica de S?o Paulo.  

While there will be time for a proper goodbye in the month ahead, we wish Bjarne the very best in his new role at GSK. He has led the Legal function for over six years with distinction, building a very strong and talented team. He has been passionate about our purpose and values, playing an important role in championing diversity and inclusion, especially around promoting access and opportunity for people with a disability. Both Bjarne and the Legal team have received numerous professional awards and recognition for their work over the years. 

Please join me in thanking Bjarne for everything he has done for our company and in congratulating Cinthia on her new appointment.  

Best wishes, 

John