Strategic Plan 2023–2026

Introduction from the Chief Executive Officer

Jessica Mosher standing against a beige wall. Woman with dark blonde hair, smiling and wearing a white shirt and blue blazer.

How We Developed Our Plan

Crafting our 2023–2026 Strategic Plan has been an iterative, multi-stepped process involving many stakeholders. Our external review highlighted how both the university landscape and the publishing industry are experiencing many changing dynamics—as an active partner and an industry leader in both these sectors, UTP must continue its innovation. As shifts in market demands, demographics, delivery models, and customer attitudes toward content occur, we must respond. Over twelve months, our UTP community engaged in efforts to map ways it can best prepare for the future; working with HESA has been an essential part of this effort as we gathered exceptional qualitative and quantitative data to support and inform our planning.

HESA team members engaged in interviews with many key stakeholders, including:

  • UTP staff, clients, and authors
  • Members of the Board of Directors
  • University of Toronto colleagues
  • Industry peers including members of:
    • the Association of University Presses
    • the Association of Canadian University Presses
    • the Association of Canadian Publishers
  • Representatives from the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Representatives from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
  • Representatives from the Ontario Arts Council

Additionally, HESA reviewed the business plans for each UTP division and compiled research on industry trends and drivers. Areas of focus included projected and current shifts in higher education enrolment, publishing access models, and the operating environment. HESA also supported our planning in considering the relationship between UTP and U of T and how to further strengthen this partnership.

Equipped with this diverse information, along with feedback from UTP’s Board of Directors, the senior leadership team worked closely with members from across the divisions to establish our objectives and key strategies, to determine how we will implement these strategies, and to define how we will measure our progress along the way.

With this extensive review, we are confident our 2023–2026 Strategic Plan thoroughly articulates and expresses a collective vision for UTP’s future—a future we can all be excited about!

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Strategic Priorities

In order to move substantively in the direction of our goals, over the next three years we must…

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Invest in Our People and Our Company

  • Recruit and develop our people and our culture in line with our vision
  • Enhance our technology systems and platforms
  • Optimize our facilities


The heart of any organization and company is its people. Investing in our employees is key to our success. We can do this tangibly in many ways, all while ensuring we are focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion to allow for a broad perspective which reflects the city we work in and the global community we are a part of. Ensuring we attract, develop, and retain talent is imperative. As part of our investment in our people and company, we will develop career pathways, supply training, and enable systems that allow us to do our work efficiently and provide an engaging experience for all. We will also optimize our warehouse and warehouse systems, as well as enhancing our bookstore facilities, allowing us to continue the growth and diversification of our distribution and retail services.

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Develop Sustainable Business and Service Models Reflecting a Changing Landscape

  • Collaborate to innovate current offerings to be more customer centric
  • Generate new product and service streams
  • Partner with organizations to expand our reach

We will continue to review and survey to better understand how our authors, scholars, students, and clients use and value our content and services, and will explore alternative delivery modes to better respond to changing needs. We recognize the landscape has changed from exclusively print to print/digital and other ways of providing content and services. We will continue to invest and innovate with this shift in mind as we pursue diverse ways to deliver content and services and to expand our global reach, whether through new models or by seeking to partner with other organizations.

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Expand Our Relationships and Our Reputation

  • Explore external partnerships to address growing supply chain challenges
  • Deepen our relationship and partnership with the University of Toronto
  • Build the University of Toronto Press identity in Canada, North America, and globally

Further reach locally, nationally, and globally will expand our impact. We will remain open-minded and focused on our mission both by exploring external partnerships to allow for new service models and to address growing supply chain issues, and by looking at alternative partners to ensure diversity and reliability. Additionally, deepening our partnership with University of Toronto and better aligning with U of T libraries, departments, schools, administration, and campuses builds our identity and outreach within the broader community.

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