When the average person thinks of Pearson, it conjures 300-page accounting textbooks and college admission test preps. Andy Bird is working to change that. Since becoming Pearson's CEO two years ago, he's focused on refashioning the education company's image as a leading print textbook publisher to that of an online learning company that encompasses career training, reskilling, and lifelong learning.
The former Disney executive insists that the education market will have to undergo the same digital transformation as the retail, gaming, and music industries to see continued growth. Pearson sells about 1 million textbooks yearly, a massive drop from 20 million five years ago.
