New York (August 12, 2019): Roland A. DeSilva, a noted investment banker to the media and publishing industries, was recently named to the Authors Guild Foundation Board, the educational and charitable arm of the Authors Guild, the nation’s oldest and largest organization of professional writers.

DeSilva is co-founder and Chairman of Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips, which provides M&A services to companies and investors operating at the intersection of content, technology and service with deep expertise in six key sectors: media, marketing, technology, data and information, education, healthcare and private equity.

“Roland DeSilva’s passion for the written word combined with his superb business acumen and experience is an ideal fit for the Authors Guild at a time when writers must be strategic about navigating the multitude of changes, challenges and opportunities directly impacting their bottom line,” said Laura Pederson, President of the Authors Guild Foundation.

“We are delighted to welcome Roland to the Authors Guild Foundation Board. The Foundation will significantly benefit from Roland’s expertise, particularly in understanding the direction of the publishing industry and its confluence with media companies,” said Mary Rasenberger, Executive Director of the Authors Guild. “There are numerous opportunities for authors today in other industries—television, film, web-based content and gaming. Roland’s business sense and insights into how these industries function will help us better advise our members and in our advocacy efforts to secure better terms for content creators in keeping with our mission.”

Prior to his investment banking career, Roland served as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, International Director and Publisher with Thomson Corp., McGraw-Hill and Capital Cities/ABC, Inc. (Chilton Company). He is also the founder of U.S. Business Press, a nine-magazine business-to-business publishing company.

A graduate of C.W. Post, Long Island University, where he received a Distinguished Graduate Honor and served on the LIU Board, Roland currently serves as Vice Chairman of World Information Transfer, a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization in General Consultative Status with the United Nations, dedicated to health and the environment. He also is a Board Member Emeritus of the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board.

Roland and his wife Mary reside in New York City and have three children and six grandchildren.

About the Authors Guild Foundation

The Authors Guild Foundation educates, supports and protects American writers to ensure that a rich, diverse body of literature can flourish by advocating for authors’ rights, educating authors across the country in the business of writing and promoting an understanding of the value of writers. The Foundation believes that an abundance of free literary expression is essential to our democracy, and that can only be achieved by protecting authors’ constitutional and moral rights to benefit from their work. It is the sole group of its kind dedicated to empowering all U.S. authors. Established in 1972 to help ensure the long-term viability of the Authors Guild, the Foundation’s founding members included Saul Bellow, John Hersey, Madeleine L’Engle, Sidney Offit, James A. Michener, Toni Morrison, Elizabeth Janeway, and Barbara Tuchman.