About Gail Rebuck
Born 1952. Gail Rebuck is a British publisher.
Gail Ruth Rebuck, Baroness Rebuck, Lady Gould of Brookwood (born 10 February 1952) is a British publisher and chair of Penguin Random House UK. She has served as a Labour member of the House of Lords since 2014.
Early life and education Rebuck's Latvian-born Jewish grandfather, and her own father, were both in the London rag trade. Her mother was a Dutch Jew.
At the age of four she was sent to the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle, London, where she learned to read and write in French before she did in English. She graduated with a degree in intellectual history from Sussex University in 1974.
Career Rebuck worked for several independent publishers and ran a paperback imprint for Hamlyn, before putting her own funds into a new imprint, Century. After a merger with Hutchinson in 1985, Century Hutchinson was taken over by Random House UK in 1989. Rebuck was appointed chair and chief executive of Random House UK in 1991. and ninth in a 2011 Guardian version of the list. In February 2013, she was assessed the tenth most powerful woman in the UK by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4. She was recognised as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2013.
In February 2015, Rebuck succeeded Sir Neil Cossons as pro-provost and chair of council (the governing body) at the Royal College of Art (RCA), having joined the RCA council in 1999.
Personal life She was married to Philip Gould, until his death in November 2011. They had two daughters: Georgia Gould, who serves as the MP for Queen's Park and Maida Vale, and Grace Gould.
Honours Rebuck was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2000 New Year Honours, and promoted to Dame Commander of the same Order (DBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.
In 2014, it was announced that Rebuck was to become a Labour peer in the House of Lords, following in the footsteps of her late husband. She was created a life peer on 18 September 2014, taking the title Baroness Rebuck, of Bloomsbury in the London Borough of Camden.
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
Family & relationships
People in Gail Rebuck's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Gail Rebuck's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Gail Rebuck?
Chair, Penguin Random House UK
When was Gail Rebuck born?
Gail Rebuck was born on 10 February 1952 in London.
What is Gail Rebuck's occupation?
Gail Rebuck is a publisher.
What nationality is Gail Rebuck?
Gail Rebuck is British.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Gail Rebuck. https://biography.guide/gail-rebuck/
MLA: "Gail Rebuck." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/gail-rebuck/.
Chicago: "Gail Rebuck." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/gail-rebuck/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence
Page generated 2026-09-27 04:57 UTC