HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP) announced Wednesday that Doug Lockhart will join the company as senior vice president of Bible marketing and outreach. The move to hire the Biblica executive signals a strategic decision by HCCP to continue the focus on its Bible business.

Lockhart joins HCCP from the nonprofit Biblica, a longtime publishing partner of the company’s Zondervan publishing group. Biblica is the copyright holder and worldwide publisher of the New International Version (NIV) Bible translation, and has licensed its North American publishing rights to Zondervan for more than 40 years. Lockhart was CEO, first in North America and then global, for a combined five years. Before Biblica, Lockhart’s senior leadership experience included roles at The McGraw-Hill Companies and Zondervan.

“Doug has a rich history with our Bible products, going back to his tenure with Zondervan, where he served in various senior leadership roles,” said Mark Schoenwald, president and CEO of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. “His innovative thinking throughout his time at Zondervan and Biblica has helped HCCP better understand Bible readers today. In addition, he has the ability to identify and develop strategic marketing partnerships, which will add a significant amount of confidence to our Bible team and their ability to help fulfill our mission.”

As senior vice president of Bible marketing and outreach, Lockhart will be responsible for strategic vision, market analysis, product positioning and managing marketing oversight for Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Bible products. He will oversee brand management and develop further strategies that enhance the NIV, King James Version, New King James Version and The Voice translations. His position requires cross-collaboration between a number of HCCP publishing teams, and he will be responsible for driving initiatives that support the company’s overall growth strategy.

Lockhart will report directly to the senior vice president of Bible resources, John Kramp.  Because of Lockhart’s executive experience, he will be part of the HCCP executive leadership team, which is responsible for understanding and providing guidance for the overall health of the company.

“Joining HCCP in this capacity feels like a natural migration for my career,” Lockhart said. “Though they are my new colleagues, I have worked closely with many people at HCCP for some time.  My meetings with John Kramp and other leaders within the organization have been forward-thinking, and I am excited to continue spreading God’s Word throughout the world.”

Starting Dec. 1, Lockhart will be based at the company’s Grand Rapids, Michigan, location, but also will oversee marketing personnel in Nashville.