Dipanwita Shome
Commissioning Editor, School English, Cambridge University Press South Asia
Greater Noida West
Summary
Dynamic publishing leader with over 14 years of experience in educational content creation, ELT pedagogy, and product development. Proven track record in managing the entire product lifecycle from conceptualization to market release. Skilled in cross-functional team leadership, strategic portfolio expansion, and driving business growth through innovative product strategies.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
9
9
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Commissioning Editor School English
Cambridge University Press & Assessment
01.2024 - 01.2025
- Delivered NEP-compliant blended learning course grossing INR 4.5 crore.
- Leading versioning of flagship ELT products to align with NCERT standards, converting private NCERT user schools to CUP schools.
- Completed the learning design, budget and commissioning for revising our flagship ELT course
Associate Publishing Manager
Cambridge University Press & Assessment
01.2021 - 01.2024
- Spearheaded flagship ELT product revisions, aligning with NEP 2020 and NCF guidelines.
- Team Leadership managing a team of 5 resources including development editors
- Managed and motivated employees to be productive and engaged in work.
- Accomplished multiple tasks within established timeframes.
- Maximized performance by monitoring daily activities and mentoring team members.
- Led new title commissioning from the front
Associate Managing Editor
Headword Publishing Company
01.2019 - 01.2021
- Developed regional language textbooks and skill-based ELT products.
Senior Managing Editor
Turtle Books Private Limited
01.2017 - 01.2019
- Managed multi-language educational resources and secured state-board recommendations.
- Owned the content delivery portfolio delivering over 85 ISBNs year on year apart from reprints and revisions.
- Conducted editorial meetings with staff members to collaborate and review proposed publication suggestions.
- Delegated and tracked each staff member's assignments and deadlines.
Deputy Project Manager
Pearson Education
01.2016 - 06.2016
- Project managed US international titles (over 16) from authoring to pre-production.
- Successfully managed multiple projects simultaneously by prioritizing tasks according to urgency, resource availability, and alignment with organizational goals.
- Identified plans and resources required to meet project goals and objectives. Worked with an external resource team size of 30.
- Developed risk mitigation strategies to proactively address potential obstacles and maintain project momentum.
Associate Editor ELT
Oxford University Press
05.2011 - 12.2015
- Prepared, rewrote, and edited pieces to improve readability and impact.
- Reviewed content for grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax, accuracy, and compliance with quality standards.
- Checked reference sources to verify dates, facts, and statistics.
- Collaborated with graphics department to develop and implement visual elements.
- Determined readiness of written pieces, made changes, and approved final versions for publication.
- Elevated the overall quality of published content by setting and maintaining high editorial standards across all aspects of production.
- Worked closely on revision of key projects like The Grammar Tree and New Pathways
- Mentored junior editors on best practices for improving their writing skills and producing high-quality work consistently.
- Coordinated with writers to maintain consistent voice while removing pedagogical problems.
- Maintained strong relationships with freelance contributors to ensure a steady flow of diverse content for publication.
- Enhanced editorial quality by diligently proofreading and editing K-8 content for grammar, style, and content accuracy.
- Mitigated potential legal issues by reviewing submissions for compliance with copyright laws, libel regulations, and ethical guidelines before publication.
- Managed multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality editorial materials.
- Suggested improvements to content to enhance quality and accuracy.
- Acquired in-depth knowledge of content areas to provide effective edits.
Associate Editor ELT
Frank Brothers' (A Macmillan Education Business)
06.2010 - 10.2011
- Prepared, rewrote, and edited pieces to improve readability and impact working on 40 ISBNs in a publishing cycle
- Worked on a new functional grammar series with Geetha Nagaraj & got trained on creating a functional grammar curriculum for K-8
- Communicated directly with writers to collaboratively assess work and guide editorial improvements. (Key project: New Bridges ICSE)
- Collaborated with graphics department to develop and implement visual elements.
- Worked on CCE-led books revising the Frank Bros' ELT back-list
- Got trained on product briefings and teacher training by British Council trainers
- Mentored junior editors on best practices for improving their writing skills and producing high-quality work consistently.
Education
MA - English Literature
St. Stephen's College
New Delhi 01.2007 - 07.2010
BA - English Literature
St. Stephen's College
New Delhi 06.2004 - 06.2007
ISC - Humanities
St. Joseph's High School
Siliguri 04.2002 - 05.2004
Skills
- Instructional content development
- Consumer trend evaluation
- Process improvement using Six Sigma
- Project health indexing
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Teacher training and product sensitization
- Commissioning authors
- 50 training workshops conducted
Awards
- Outstanding Performer, CUP, 2022, Recognized for exemplary contribution to ELT frontlist management.
- 100% Club Award, CUP, Part of the elite group of top performers.
- Value Ambassador, OUP, 2014, Honored for integrating collaboration and ethical practices with business outcomes.
Accomplishments
- Documented and resolved contract revisions which led to transitioning the publishing process to one-off payment structures, downward revision of royalties for PnL health improvement
- Resolved product issue through consumer testing. (pilot research of new content)
- Custom publishing-helping new user schools navigate their academic journey with our products through supplemental material production and F2F trainings.
- Resolved product issue through customer testing.
Timeline
Commissioning Editor School English
Cambridge University Press & Assessment
01.2024 - 01.2025
Associate Publishing Manager
Cambridge University Press & Assessment
01.2021 - 01.2024
Associate Managing Editor
Headword Publishing Company
01.2019 - 01.2021
Senior Managing Editor
Turtle Books Private Limited
01.2017 - 01.2019
Deputy Project Manager
Pearson Education
01.2016 - 06.2016
Associate Editor ELT
Oxford University Press
05.2011 - 12.2015
Associate Editor ELT
Frank Brothers' (A Macmillan Education Business)
06.2010 - 10.2011
MA - English Literature
St. Stephen's College
01.2007 - 07.2010
BA - English Literature
St. Stephen's College
06.2004 - 06.2007
ISC - Humanities
St. Joseph's High School
04.2002 - 05.2004
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