BISG renames Industry Champion Award for former chief Brian O'Leary
The Book Industry Study Group has given its top honour a new name.
The book industry group has renamed its Industry Champion Award the Brian F. O'Leary Industry Champion Award. The title now carries the name of its former chief.
The change was announced at BISG@50: Book Publishing Next Forum and Anniversary Celebration at The New York Historical in New York City, according to Publishing Perspectives. The forum marked 50 years for the organisation. That is a long shelf life.
O'Leary retired on 30 June after 10 years as Executive Director, the staff post that runs the organisation day to day. BISG Board member Ashley Gordon presented him with a commemorative certificate to mark the renaming. The exchange was brief. It put the tribute on the record in front of anniversary guests.
The award itself recognises individuals whose work advances the publishing industry as a whole. In plain terms, it is not for a single book or sales run. It is for work that helps books move from manuscript to shelf. The 2026 recipient is Kris Kliemann, and the organisation is now led by Executive Director Allison Belan.
O'Leary arrives with other honours already on the shelf. He received Publishers Weekly's 2025 Frederic G. Melcher Lifetime Achievement Award, as reported by Publishers Weekly. He was also named to the Book Manufacturers' Institute's Cased-In Club, according to BISG. That club is reserved for professionals who have served the book industry for more than 20 years. It is shorthand for a full career spent keeping print supply chains working.
What makes this stand out for general readers is simple. Prizes usually go to writers. This one goes to the systems people, and now it carries one of their names.
