Universal Music Group Shakes Up UK Leadership, Several Executives Depart
Universal Music Group (UMG) is restructuring its senior leadership, and several top executives across the UK and European operations are leaving the company, Billboard reports. Sources told the outlet the departures span label presidents and country managers across multiple European markets, with one UK strategy executive having already announced her own exit earlier in the week.
Who's leaving
- Ben Mortimer — president, Polydor Records U.K.
- Mark Crossingham — managing director, UMG Ireland
- Hannah Neaves — president, UM Recordings UK
- Ivo Sacchi — managing director, UMG Switzerland & Austria
- Rebecca Allen — chief artist and strategy officer, UMG U.K., who announced her departure earlier this week
A reshuffle that spans the UK and continental Europe
This isn't an isolated label-level shake-up. Polydor Records and UM Recordings UK are both major recording labels under UMG's UK structure, while Ireland, Switzerland and Austria are separate UMG operating markets in Europe. Together, the departures suggest the restructuring touches both UMG's UK headquarters and its continental European subsidiaries.
Allen's chief artist and strategy officer role was a cross-departmental position UMG UK had established in recent years; her exit was already known before this broader round of departures was reported.
What we don't know yet
The source report does not specify who, if anyone, will succeed these executives, nor has UMG issued a public statement detailing the full scope of the reorganization. Readers looking for confirmation or further detail should watch for an official announcement from UMG.