Meet the Publishing Team
Behind all of our publishing services is a fantastic and friendly publishing team who make an individual impact and work together to create a complete publishing package.
Luke Jeffery
Director
Luke was a missionary for fourteen years in Northern Europe. Working as an itinerant preacher and national worship leader, his passion is to see the message of the cross of Christ and the Father’s love preached, understood and activated in every community. In publishing, his vision is to provide an outlet for personal testimonies of Christ’s work in people’s lives as well as teaching that is timely for the church today.
Luke has a Master’s Degree from Cambridge University. He is gifted in applying new technologies and bringing together fields of expertise to facilitate business and organisational growth, a skill he has formerly applied to a diverse range of industries including toy development, accountancy, biotechnology, genetic research and within the church.
Luke has been Director of Onwards and Upwards Publishers since 2012.
Leah-Maarit Jeffery
Design & Marketing Manager
Leah holds a BA Hons degree in Graphic Design and has worked in the industry for fourteen years, including five years for a Christian newspaper / magazine company in Plymouth. Leah is also a writer herself, having published Unjustified Joy in 2019. After working with us on a freelance basis for over a decade and creating book covers and marketing materials for many of our best selling titles, Leah joined Onwards and Upwards full-time in January 2023. She is also the designer for our much loved Christian resources publication Together magazine.
Mark and Diana Jeffery
Business Owners
Company Founder, Mark, has worked in various areas of Christian ministry and service for many years. Prior to launching Onwards and Upwards, he became aware that it was very difficult for many new Christian writers to get their work published by the long-established publishers. As a former head teacher, published author and former film writer/director, Mark believes that Christians need to use whatever media is available to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, good teaching, testimonies and reading material for children. He therefore establish Onwards and Upwards to facilitate Christian writing and to distribute it within the Christian and secular marketplaces.
As well as active on the Board of Directors, Mark founded and directs Christian Au Pairs, the first and largest Christian au pair agency in Britain, which began more than 30 years ago.
Diana began as the Financial Director of Onwards and Upwards, but now serves in an advisory role on the Board of Directors. Diana helped to grow the Company in its early development through engaging with authors at exhibitions and in churches, encouraging them to share their writing and supporting them in prayer.
Mark and Diana regularly visit Bulgaria in a leadership support role, preaching in churches across the nation. They also serve in other nations across the world, including regular visits to the USA.
