Universal Music Group has announced a series of strategic promotions across the executive management team within its Global Classics & Jazz (GCJ) division.
“These appointments reflect the company’s ongoing commitment to growth and will provide focused resources to accelerate further transformation of its international business and market-leading classical and jazz labels,” said a statement.
Over the past two years, UMG’s Global Classics & Jazz division has seen a major impact from acts including Andrea Bocelli (pictured), who had a record-breaking livestream at Milan’s Duomo, and Jon Batiste’s landmark 11 Grammy Award nominations. The GCJ team worked closely with their partner labels to build on their success to achieve a broad international reach.
“As fans both new and long-term explored the genres during the pandemic, jazz and classical music listenership grew significantly,” added the statement.
Announcing the changes, Sam Jackson, EVP, Global Classics & Jazz, said: “These new appointments represent the constant evolution of our international business. This exceptional team will support expansion and diversification across the pivotal areas of international marketing, communications, artist strategy and audience analytics. Focused on delivering our artists’ diverse creative ambitions, they will work together with our labels and partners, offering their global expertise and unrivalled insight.”
Dickon Stainer, president & CEO, Global Classics & Jazz, said: “These changes mark the latest step in our mission to deliver best-in-class service for our incredible artists, and for these genres of music which hold global cultural significance and are of great importance to us at UMG.”
Based in London, Liz Chew today takes on a new role as senior director, global priorities – marketing, having spent two years as director, international marketing. Chew, who joined UMG in 2011 from EMI Classics, has delivered successful marketing campaigns for Andrea Bocelli, including his No.1 album Si, and Ludovico Einaudi’s Cinema, featuring scores from his Oscar- and BAFTA-winning films.
Chew has masterminded international campaigns for superstar artists including Ennio Morricone, Luciano Pavarotti, Cecilia Bartoli and Ólafur Arnalds. She will lead a team spanning London and Berlin, creating global campaigns for a wide range of high-profile projects across UMG’s Global Classics & Jazz roster, as well as supporting new, emerging and developing artists.
Rachel Tregenza expands her role to become senior director, global priorities – communications & artist strategy, after two years leading on PR for the division and shaping international album campaigns for classical and jazz artists including Max Richter, Lang Lang, Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason, Víkingur Ólafsson and Gregory Porter.
She also worked alongside Chew on Bocelli’s Music For Hope event, which became one of the biggest musical livestream performances of all time, with three million peak concurrent viewers. Tregenza joined GCJ after five years at Decca, where she worked across numerous key media campaigns. She will focus on the ever-expanding new audiences for classical and jazz repertoire, driving artist strategy while working alongside label colleagues, artists and UMG Global Communications.
George Irwin is promoted to the newly-created role of audience & analytics manager, reporting to Paul Moseley, SVP, content & data.
The appointments follow global projects such as Max Richter’s eight-hour work Sleep, Jacob Collier’s Grammy-winning albums and Hildur Gudnadottir’s award-winning scores.
“As the genres continue to grow, focus remains on expanding creative opportunities,” added the statement. “The simultaneous emphasis on engaging current listeners whilst attracting new fans worldwide remains at the heart of the division, ensuring remarkable artists and their music are shared with the broadest possible listener base.”
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