Indie children’s publisher Walker Books has tapped former Coolabi head of licensing Anna Hewitt to head up the company’s growing licensing division.

Starting later this month, Hewitt will oversee major in-house brands based on Walker published properties, including Lucy Cousin’s evergreen property Maisy, Guess How Much I Love You and new brand Tilly and Friends – the Polly Dunbar picture book series due to air in 2012 on Cbeebies in a co-produced animation from JAM Media and Walker’s in-house TV production arm, Walker Productions.

She is the first recruit to come out of the company’s growth strategy for the UK and global licensing division.

Prior to joining Coolabi in January 2010, Hewitt worked for 10 years at BBC Worldwide, where she was responsible for developing and executing the international licensing strategy for several major adult and children’s brands including Tweenies, Fimbles, In The Night Garden, Doctor Who, Lonely Planet and Top Gear.