Universal Music Group announces strategic leadership appointments within Africa

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To assist lead this enlargement, Sipho Dlamini has been promoted to CEO, Common Music South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, efficient instantly. Dlamini will proceed to supervise all of UMG’s operations inside English-speaking Africa.

Since becoming a member of UMG in 2016, he has been instrumental in solidifying and rising UMG’s African infrastructure, growing the visibility of African music around the globe and delivering unprecedented artist success in South Africa.

Throughout this time, UMG has additionally led the industry with new initiatives throughout dwell music, model partnerships and the adoption of licensed and authorized streaming platforms inside Africa.

Dlamini is a member of UMG’s Activity Power for Significant Change (TFMC), which was created final yr as a driving pressure for inclusion and social justice throughout the world music industry and serves as chair for the TFMC’s International Committee.

In his new position, Dlamini will proceed to work intently with Adam Granite, UMG’s EVP, Market Growth, to establish additional alternatives for artists signed to Common Music Africa to achieve new audiences around the globe, using UMG’s unrivalled world community of industry-leading companies spanning greater than 60 nations worldwide.

Inside South Africa, Dlamini has been joined by vastly skilled senior government Elouise Kelly, who has been appointed Chief Working Officer, Common Music South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. She can be based mostly in Johannesburg and can report back to Dlamini.

Kelly Joins UMG from world promoting and media company Ogilvy, the place she held the place of Managing Director, South Africa. With a confirmed and award-winning background in branding, advertising, communication and industrial enterprise technique, she is going to play an integral position within the additional enlargement of Common Music Africa and its operations and label divisions.

Previous to working at Ogilvy, Kelly held senior positions at SABC, High TV, Viacom Worldwide Media Networks and M-Web.

As well as, Chinedu Okeke has been named Managing Director, Common Music Nigeria and can lead the event and enlargement of UMG’s present operations inside Nigeria, and additional English-speaking markets in West Africa.

He can be based mostly in Lagos, Nigeria and can report back to Dlamini. Okeke joins UMG having established himself over the past decade, as a profitable enterprise and live-music entrepreneur.

He’s the founding father of Eclipse Dwell – A Dwell leisure firm centered on bringing dwell reasonably priced leisure to the youth of Africa and Eclipse Model Company, working with main shoppers, artists and industrial companions.

He’s additionally the founder and Govt Producer of Nigeria’s legendary Gidi Tradition Pageant, and a founding Trustee of Echo Music & Arts Basis, and beforehand held positions at The Wicklow Group, Canvest Group & AP Moeller Maersk.

All three will work intently with French-speaking operations in Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon and markets throughout the continent, which function underneath the management of Franck Kacou, Directeur Normal, Common Music Africa.

UMG can be working intently in partnership with mother or father firm Vivendi, and a number of other of Vivendi’s divisions, together with CanalOlympia, Olympia Manufacturing, Vivendi and Canal+ to assist and develop the dwell music industry all through Africa.

Asserting the modifications, Adam Granite mentioned, “I’m thrilled to announce these strategic appointments, as we glance to additional develop our home infrastructure and label rosters inside Africa.

“Most integral to reaching our long-term ambitions, is to construct a powerful management staff on the bottom, with deep foundations in every nation to assist develop a dynamic ecosystem for all to learn sooner or later.

“Over the previous few years, Sipho has proven nice management, dedication and imaginative and prescient for music in Africa, serving to UMG to introduce new expertise to audiences around the globe and establish alternatives to guide the industry in licensing and supporting new platforms to achieve African music followers.

“Elouise and Chin each deliver welcome new abilities, confirmed entrepreneurship and essential management expertise that can solely serve to bolster UMG’s place because the market-leader throughout Africa.”

Sipho Dlamini mentioned, “There has by no means been a extra thrilling time for African music around the globe, because it continues to affect and encourage tradition and creativity, while reaching a wider viewers globally every day by way of streaming.

“I’m delighted to welcome each Elouise and Chin to the UMG household, their distinctive abilities and experiences will solely assist to additional set up UMG as a bedrock throughout the African music neighborhood, that can proceed to place the pursuits and alternatives for artists first and assist elevate African expertise to new ranges of success at dwelling and overseas.”

As a part of UMG’s technique, the corporate helps African expertise attain new audiences internationally. In 2018, UMG turned the primary main label to license its catalog to Boomplay, Africa’s largest native streaming platform. Final yr, UMG launched a number of albums by African artists globally, together with: