About the Agency

Georgina Capel joined William Heinemann’s rights department in 1983 before moving to Secker and Warburg as Rights Director. After five years at Secker she went on to Jonathan Cape as Rights Director and deputy Managing Director before becoming Group Rights Director of Random House.

She works with top international authors and has been negotiating global deals for the past twenty years. She is married to the publisher Anthony Cheetham.

Rachel studied Comparative Literature at King’s College London and, after spending time at various publishing houses and literary agencies, joined Georgina Capel in 2010. Her list includes Dylan Thomas Prize, Orwell Prize and Waterstones Children’s Book Prize shortlisted authors, as well as winners of the Manchester Fiction Prize, Irish Book of the Year, and the YA Book Prize.

Her interests range from literary and well-written commercial fiction, to thrillers, sci-fi, and books for older children and teens. She also represents a wide range of non-fiction writers, including scholars, journalists and cooks. She represents clients for their television and radio work, as well as their public appearances.

Irene joined Georgina Capel Associates in 2017, having previously worked at Faber & Faber and Gregory & Company Authors’ Agents. She has an MA in Modern Literature from the University of Siena in Italy and an MA in Publishing Studies from City University London.

Irene works with the GCA team on audio and foreign rights. She also manages speaking events for clients. Irene is looking for literary fiction, crime thrillers, sci-fi, pop science and psychology, true crime and narrative non-fiction on current affairs and sociology.

As Editor at publishers including Routledge, Jonathan Cape and HarperCollins, Philippa has worked closely with such authors as Jeanette Winterson, Ruth Rendell, Helen Simpson, Alex Cox, Diana Souhami and John Tusa.

Simon Shaps is the former CEO of ITV’s global production business, and from 2005 to 2008 was ITV’s Director of Television, with responsibility for commissioning and scheduling across ITV1 as well as ITV’s digital channels. After leaving ITV, Simon was appointed chairman of four media companies – Mercury Media, A Brand Apart , Back2Back and Ignite – and advised a number of other businesses.

He is the former chairman of the Royal Television Society, the Cultural Diversity Network and the National Film and Television School. In February 2013, Simon was appointed Managing Director of International Content and Production, CORE Media Group, a role he remained in until the merger of Core with Endemol and Shine at the end of 2014.

Simon now has his own company, Simon Shaps Ltd, and also works in a consultancy role for a number of media clients.

*The email address below is not for Simon Sebag Montefiore*

Polly joined Georgina Capel Associates in 2021. She has a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Oxford and an MA in Creative Writing: Prose Fiction from the University of East Anglia.