Aitken Alexander Associates is reorganizing its leadership at the top. In a press release, the London agency announces the appointment of Chris Wellbelove as co-managing director, alongside Lesley Thorne, in position since 2017. This promotion recognizes his growing role at the head of the books department and his contribution to the development of the company.
Management designed as a lock of independence
The internal career path gives this appointment a strategic scope. Chris Wellbelove joined Aitken Alexander Associates in 2017, from Greene & Heaton. The same movement saw Lesley Thorne become general manager of the agency.
A year later, Wellbelove became director, two years after his arrival. The agency’s website today presents him as head of the books department, while Lesley Thorne is associated with the audiovisual department, which she founded in 2004.
The capital structure confirms this tightening around a reduced management team. The UK Companies House register lists five active directors for Aitken Alexander Holdings Limited: Clare Alexander, Lesley Thorne, Lisa Baker, Emma Paterson and Chris Wellbelove.
The book at the heart of agency power
The press release highlights several recent successes followed by Wellbelove: The Trading Game, by Gary Stevenson, The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley, and Maurice and Maralyn, by Sophie Elmhirst. Publishers Weekly also partners Chris Wellbelove with The Trading Game as agent for the book.
The editorial ranking sheds light on the choice of governance. Aitken Alexander Associates reports that The Ministry of Time made the New York Times Best Seller list. The Guardian reports that Maurice and Maralyn won the Nero Gold Prize in 2025.
This co-direction therefore combines two complementary poles: the book, the rights and the careers of authors on the one hand; the audiovisual and the adaptations of the other. For Aitken Alexander Associates, the challenge concerns the continuity of its model: an independent agency, owned by its directors, and organized around a transversal exploitation of works.
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By DépêcheContact: depeche@actualitte.com
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
