Bodour opens PublisHer Lounge at Bologna Children’s Book Fair

PublisHer has again cemented its annual presence at Bologna Children’s Book Fair, convening the global community it has created to champion women’s leadership, recognise excellence and advance the future of reading cultures everywhere.

Its epicentre was the PublisHer Lounge, a dedicated space for connection, exchange and professional development, with a programme of panels, keynotes and the annual PublisHer Excellence Awards.

Opening the Lounge, PublisHer Founder Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi reaffirmed her movement’s mission to guarantee that women are not just present in publishing but decisive in setting its direction of travel.

She said: “The future of publishing belongs to those who get to take decisions, whose opinions carry and whose stories, ultimately, reach readers. Through PublisHer we’re building a community where the norm is women having equal voice, opportunity and authority to lead and shape the industry to which they dedicate their lives.”

As part of its continued expansion, PublisHer also announced the launch of its Premium Membership, which provides for deeper mentorship, enhanced visibility and structured pathways to leadership for women across the publishing ecosystem.

Sheikha Bodour during Bologna Children's Book Fair.

A highlight in Bologna was the third edition of the PublisHer Excellence Awards, which recognise outstanding women whose work is advancing the publishing industry globally.

This year’s awards received 102 nominations from 34 countries, reflecting the scale, diversity and growing influence of women across the sector.

The 2026 winners were:

Emerging Leader Award – Ana María Bermúdez, Publisher, Penguin Random House Mexico

Innovation Award – Monique Leite, Founder and Director, PlenaVoz

Lifetime Achievement Award – Ana María Cabanellas, President and Publisher, Grupo Claridad

Presenting the awards, Sheikha Bodour focused on the momentum behind women-led innovation in publishing.

She said: “Women are not waiting for the future of publishing to manifest – they’re building it. These awards are recognition of individual achievements, but they also form a living record of the impact women are having across every aspect of the world’s book industry.”

In her capacity as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Education and Book Culture, Sheikha Bodour participated in a PublisHer panel titled “Leading Through Books: Women Shaping Reading Cultures Globally”, staged in collaboration with UN Publications.

The discussion addressed critical gaps in global reading ecosystems, from access to culturally relevant content to structural barriers limiting women’s leadership in publishing.

She stressed the need for systemic change, calling for greater investment in local language publishing, stronger collaboration across the reading ecosystem, recognition of women’s role in shaping reading cultures, and a more intentional approach to publishing as a tool for education and societal development.

Earlier in the week, Sheikha Bodour took part in a fireside chat on her award-winning children’s book “House of Wisdom”, before signing copies in Giannino Stoppani bookshop.

The talk explored the inspiration behind the book and its focus on introducing young readers to the intellectual legacy of the Arab and Islamic world, highlighting themes of knowledge, curiosity and intercultural exchange. The session underscored the role of children’s literature in shaping identity, values and worldliness from an early age.

PublisHer’s presence in Bologna reflects its continuous, rapid growth as a platform supporting women in publishing through community, mentorship and leadership development.

Networking more than 1,000 women worldwide, PublisHer continues to expand its reach and impact, reinforcing its founding tenet that a more inclusive publishing industry leads to richer, more diverse stories and stronger reading cultures for future generations.

Recently, as part of Sharjah’s Guest of Honour cultural programme at the 30th edition of the Rabat International Publishing and Book Fair, Sheikha Bodour inaugurated the Moroccan edition of the “Folktales Reimagined” exhibition at the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco.