Executive Turntable: Cesar Gueikian Steps Down as Gibson President & CEO, Anne Rohesy Steps in As Interim

ICMP, the global trade body for the music publishing industry that rep, announced the election of its new global board, as well as the chairs and vice chairs of its North America, LATAM, Europe, Africa and APAC global regional groups.

In all, the board comprises of 20 seats. Along with the election, the board has appointed its new four person executive bureau: ICMP chair Rell Lafargue (president and COO of Reservoir), vice-chair Chris Butler (MPA UK/director of Wise Music and chairman of Edition Peters Group), treasurer Bob Bruderman (chief digital officer of Kobalt Music) and secretary John Reston (president of global administration, Universal Music Publishing Group).

The remainder of the board includes:

ICMP Global Regional Group chairs and vice-chairs include: MPA South Africa’s Rowlin Naicker as chair and Downtown Music Publishing Africa’s Thando Makhunga as vice-chair of Africa; AMPAL, MPA Australia & New Zealand’s Damian Rinaldi as chair and Kobalt Music Publishing Asia’s Frederica Wong as vice chair of APAC; Sony Music Publishing France’s Jean-Christophe Bourgeois as chair and MPA Denmark’s Ole Dreyer as vice-chair of Europe; Sony Music Publishing Mexico’s Román Antonio López as chair and CAEM, MPA Argentina’s Gabriel Maspero as vice-chair of LATAM and NMPA’s Shannon Sorensen as chair and Music Publishers Canada’s Jodie Ferneyhough as vice-chair of North America.

“The music publishing industry’s prominence has never been higher, its value more robust and commercial opportunities more promising,” John Phelan, ICMP’s director general, said in a statement. “ICMP’s daily mission is to defend the world’s songs, their writers and support the economic and cultural value music drives. We look forward to doing that alongside our new Board and Global Regional Groups of outstanding executives from around the world. Congratulations each.”

Michele Page has joined the neighboring rights collective SoundExchange as general counsel. Within her new role, Page will report to president and CEO Michael Huppe.

“Michele brings deep legal expertise, sound judgement, strategic acumen and a strong understanding of the evolving music and technology soundscape,” Huppe said in a statement. “As SoundExchange continues to grow and innovate in service of creators and our worldwide partners, Michele’s leadership will be an invaluable asset for our team. We’re thrilled to welcome her into this role.”

Page previously served as vp of legal at Peloton Interactive and as general counsel, media at Neilsen.

“I’m honored to join SoundExchange at such an important moment for the music industry,” Page said in a statement. “SoundExchange plays a vital role in advocating for creators and rights owners, and I’m excited to be part of an organization with such a strong mission and impact. I look forward to working with this talented team to help advance its efforts on behalf of the music community.”

Following the success of Montreal-based breakout band Angine de Poitrine, Planetary Group has announced its expansion into Canada. As part of the company’s new footprint, Megan Curry joins the team in Montreal as a radio promoter.

“Extending our fulltime staff to Canada is our latest commitment up North,” Adam Lewis, founder of Planetary Group, said in a statement. “We promote more Canadian albums than any other U.S.-based agency, represented Quebec at SXSW many times, featured multiple Canadian artists on our SXSW and New Colossus showcases, hosted by Pop Montreal in Los Angeles many times and hosted a stage at Canadian Music Week. Planetary has had countless Number Ones on the Canadian College charts in recent years, including Angine de Poitrine, Knitting, Soft Cult, The Weather Station, Helena Deland, Elisapie, Shaina Hayes, Art D’Ecco, TEKE::TEKE, Dumb, Munya, Terra Lightfoot and Hélène Bariber. By expanding our team to Canada, we’re setting the stage for even more.”

Seranade has launched two new product offerings, Smart Events and Wallet Pass, and has hired Zoe Warshaw as senior partnerships and marketing manager to help support the new tools, while Matt Drayton has been promoted to head of strategic partnerships.

Smart Events partnered with Liverpool Sound City to put smart stickers on lanyard to create a live channel for attendees, while the Wallet Pass can be added to Apple or Google Wallet and provide fans with direct notifications.

Warshaw, based in the U.K., joins the company with experience from The Orchard, AWAL and RCA.

“Continuing a successful period of evolution at Serenade, Zoe brings a rich wealth of industry experience to expertly meet increasing demand from U.K. and European artists, managers and labels seeking a more creative way to support chart campaigns, deepen fan engagement and enhance live moments through our choice of smart products for multiple music experiences,” Germán Rodrigo, general manager at Serenade and Vinyl.com, said in a statement.

Spirit Music has hired Elizabeth Lombardi as vp of business and legal affairs and Taylor Perez as senior director, digital marketing. Both will report from the company’s Nashville headquarters.

Lombardi specializes in negotiating publishing, brand and endorsement deals as well as catalog acquisitions. Perez has held digital marketing roles at Big Machine Label Group and Warner Music Group.

“We are excited to welcome Elizabeth Lombardi and Taylor Perez to the Spirit Team,” Frank Rogers, CEO of Spirit Music, said in a statement. “They are both talented, knowledgeable and passionate about supporting and championing all of our songwriters and artists and I can’t wait to watch them accelerate everything Spirit has in the works!”

Lombardi said: “Throughout my career, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the role songwriters play in shaping our industry. I’m thrilled to join Spirit Music and work alongside a team that is passionate about championing creators and protecting the songs that connect with audiences around the world.”

Perez added: “I am so excited to join the team at Spirit Music because of their commitment to champion both well-established and emerging songwriters, while maintaining a collaborative and entrepreneurial environment. It’s an honor to join the team and I look forward to helping create new opportunities for its songwriters, partners and catalogs.”

Kate London has joined Jay Siegan Presents as attorney, client and procurement relations out of the company’s Los Angeles office. She’s previously held roles at Warner Records, Global Music Rights and Interscope.

“Kate’s spent her career at the highest levels of the music industry, and she knows how deals actually work,” Jay Seigan, founder and executive creative director of Jay Siegan Presents, said in a statement. “She’s going to make us sharper in all the right ways. We’re excited to have her insight and rigor as we grow.”

Frontiers Label Group has promoted three, with Leo Nicholas elevated to managing director, U.K., Aldo Lonobile to vp, global A&R and Martina Palermo to global head of PR.

“Among the things that make me most proud at Frontiers is seeing talented people grow, take responsibility and shine with their own light,” Serafino Perugino, president and founder of Frontiers Label Group, said in a statement. “Leo, Aldo and Martina are not only valuable professionals within our company; they are people who have chosen to put themselves on the line, to raise their level every day and to contribute with passion, ambition and commitment to what we are building.

“Frontiers has never been only about me. It belongs to everyone who truly believes in it, who wants to grow with it and who has the courage to set goals without limits. As the company continues to evolve and expand around the world, these promotions are an important step in building the leadership team that will guide Frontiers into its next chapter. I am proud to recognize their achievements and I look forward to continuing this journey together, creating beautiful things for our artists, our partners and our future.”

Candace Braude has joined Green Tea Distribution as artist onboarding and success manager. She comes in with more than a decade of experience, having worked at Mick Music, FUGA and Mexican Summer.

Braude has also served as an independent artist manager for Von, Jason Chu and Softly.

Nvak Collective has promoted Hannah Hyman Bein to director of operations and business development, the company announced. She first joined the company in 2020, serworking on artist development, operational strategy, business growth and marketing execution.

“Hannah Hyman Bein has been with me since the first days of this company, 2020, and there are few people who have seen — or helped build — more of it,” Nvak founder Tamar Kaprelian said in a statement. “She has worked across the business in a way that is rare, from the Foundation to the Collective, always with the same combination of intelligence, taste, and nerve. Hannah is young, but she has the mind of someone seasoned: she thinks deeply, moves quickly, and has that unusual gift of being both analytical and useful in the same breath. She is a lightbulb — not simply bright, but clarifying — and an extraordinary asset to everything we are building.”