New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS): Diya Kar Hazra, who has two decades of experience in the Indian book industry, will take over as publisher at Pan Macmillan India, one of the newest in the country but already among the top five.

Hazra, who began her career at HarperCollins and worked in Penguin for over a decade, became a founder publisher in Bloomsbury India in 2012, and has published a range of outstanding authors including Khushwant Singh, Amitav Ghosh, Ramachandra Guha, William Dalrymple, Kamila Shamsie, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Bapsi Sidhwa, a Pan Macmillan release said.

Hazra, who begins her new charge on Monday and will be responsible for imprints under Pan Macmillan including Picador India, Pan and Macmillan, said she was "thrilled at being offered this wonderful opportunity" the year Pan Macmillan won the Bookseller Industry Award for publisher of the year.

Pan Macmillan India's senior vice president Rajdeep Mukherjee said Hazra, who has a "wealth of experience and creativity" will help the company, which is pioneering local publishing with the 15-year-old Picador India imprint, in "growing its India list".

Parent company Pan Macmillan is one of Britain's largest,with its published authors including V.S. Naipaul, Jeffrey Archer, Wilbur Smith, Patrick French, Ken Follett, Robin Cook and Nelson Mandela.