Marisa Pintado is the Publishing Director at Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing. She has edited and published a wide range of best-selling and award-winning titles for children and teenagers, including Welcome to Your Period and Welcome to Consent by women’s and adolescent health experts Dr Melissa Kang and Yumi Stynes; the Real Pigeons series, which is being adapted to film and TV by Nickelodeon; and the School of Monsters series by Australian Children’s Laureate Sally Rippin.

As well as establishing the Ampersand Prize in 2012, one of Australia’s leading award for debut novelists, she has also established two imprints at Hardie Grant: Bright Light, which publishes picture books that shine a light on important conversations, and Figment, a dedicated imprint for graphic novels by the best and boldest creators from Australia and around the world.