Dame Wendy Pye

Dame Wendy Pye is the CEO and owner of Wendy Pye Publishing Limited. The company is a longestablished educational publisher with a focus on early literacy and reading in English and other        languages. The leading brand is Sunshine Books which has sold more than 300 million copies. The publishing list of over 2,000 fiction and non-fiction titles is supported with an extensive range of digital resources. This includes online programmes featuring over 900 e-books, plus thousands of skill activities sold throughout the world. Also a pre-loaded tablet sold throughout Asia.

Wendy Pye Publishing established, grew and maintained for many years the leading share of the balanced literacy format category in the USA. Sunshine became one of the bestselling guided reading brands in US and worldwide. The company also enjoyed a significant position in the UK education market with Heinemann Education and in Canada with Ginn Publishing. Also, has developed a successful operation in China, working as partner with leading companies such as NetEase — a major billion-dollar gaming company in China.

Dame Wendy's reputation for helping to develop literacy skills for young children has earned her awards including the first living women to be inducted into the Business Hall of Fame and she was awarded Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and education. Dame Wendy has been listed by Forbes magazine Asia as one of the powerful women in business in the Asian region.

Other recognition includes:

Honorary Doctorate (Education), Massey University

Fellow of the Institute of Directors

Awarded TIAW World of Difference (Washington DC) 100 Award for Educational Achievement (The International Alliance for Women)

Awarded the MBE by for International Services to Literacy Publishing

Chosen as one of the 100 outstanding achievers from Australia for Education and Literacy (Advance 100, Australia, 2006) Dame Wendy still holds an Australian passport.

Awarded the Export Year 2007 Honorary Award, New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, 2007

Awarded Winner, Business Entrepreneur, Women of Influence 2014, New Zealand

NZ Education Awards 2016 — Best Resource for Export

Dame Wendy's passion continues to be to help children all over the world develop literacy skills, in English and in their native languages. The resources, both print and digital, span literacy learning resources for 4-year-olds and up to resources for older English Language Learners.