Zondervan's new leader has spoken about his delight at returning to the Christian products industry and some of his plans for the future.

Scott Macdonald, 54, was named president and CEO of the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company last week after two months in the dual role as interim head, following the March departure of Maureen "Moe" Girkins.

Macdonald was president of franchise group Lemstone Christian Stores from 2004 until its acquisition by the Parable Group in 2007. He then was in management with human resources and payroll software company People Strategy in Wheaton, Ill., before joining Zondervan last December as interim general manager of its online community for churches, The City.

"I feel like God has had me on a journey right to this place where I am right now," Macdonald said of his career track. "The combination of general management and the knowledge of this space just makes me feel so comfortable in this role at Zondervan."

Macdonald told Christian Retailing that he believed that his previous Christian retail experience—during which time he was a member of the CBA board—was "a significant benefit."

He added: "We've probably said for years now that a little bit more than half of our business is through the CBA channel. That has not changed. It's a very important and very significant channel for us. It's very important for me and us to understand how do we work with those retailers and meet the needs of their consumers and help them as their marketplace changes and adapt going forward."

At the same time, Zondervan would be continuing its digital emphasis, he said. "We have great authors and great content. Our job is to get that content into the marketplace in the way the marketplace wants to consume it."

Macdonald said that parent company HarperCollins "really gives us the reins and the room to run the business. They know that we understand this market better than they will, and we've got lots of latitude to run and build the business in the right way."

Click here to read the full Q&A with Scott Macdonald.

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