Universal Music Group's Chairman & CEO Becomes First Executive to Hold Magazine's Top Rank a Record Five Times, after being named "Executive of the Decade" in 2020
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sir Lucian Grainge, Universal Music Group's (UMG) Chairman and CEO, has been named No. 1 on Billboard's 2022 Power List, a list of the most influential executives in music.
After a break in 2021, Billboard's Power List returns this year, and with his top ranking, Grainge leads the magazine's annual list for a record fifth time. In 2020, Grainge was the first executive ever appointed "Executive of the Decade," having previously appeared at No. 1 on the Billboard Power 100 in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2019. He is still the only executive to appear at No. 1 more than once and in consecutive years.
In presenting the award to Grainge, Billboard reflected on his leadership of Universal Music Group's historic debut as a public company, noting that UMG's public listing was "a watershed moment" and that the company's valuation "was inconceivable when Grainge took over the top job at Universal in 2011" and "has helped lift the boats of many music companies - including those of Grainge's fiercest rivals."
Grainge said, "This honor is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire organization around the world, as well as the many amazing artists, executives, partners and entrepreneurs within the Universal Music family, many of whom are themselves individually recognized on this year's list."
Additional UMG executives selected by Billboard include: Universal Music Publishing Chairman and CEO Jody Gerson; Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President and President of Operations Boyd Muir; Executive Vice President Michele Anthony; General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs Jeffrey Harleston; Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy Michael Nash; Executive Vice President and Chief People and Inclusion Officer Eric Hutcherson; Chief Administrative Officer and Executive Vice President Will Tanous; President of Global e-commerce and Business Development Richelle Parham; and Executive Vice President of Commercial Innovation and Artist Strategy Celine Joshua.
Billboard recognized many of UMG's label and business unit heads including Republic Records Co-Founder and Chairman Monte Lipman, Republic Records Co-Founder and President Avery Lipman; Capitol Music Group Chairman and CEO Michelle Jubelirer; Interscope Geffen A&M Records Chairman and CEO John Janick; Universal Music Group Nashville Chairman and CEO Mike Dungan; Def Jam Recordings Chairman and CEO Tunji Balogun; Island Records Co-CEO's Justin Eshak and Imran Majid; Motown Records Chairwoman and CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam; Universal Music Latin America and Iberian Peninsula Chairman and CEO Jesús López; Universal Music Enterprises President CEO Bruce Resnikoff; President of Virgin Music Label & Artist Services Jacqueline Saturn; and Ingrooves Music Group CEO Bob Roback.
At Universal Music Publishing Group, in addition to Gerson, Billboard recognized Chief Operating Officer Marc Cimino; Chief Financial Officer JW Beekman; President, Latin America and U.S. Latin Alexandra Lioutikoff; and Chairman and CEO Universal Music Publishing Nashville Troy Tomlinson.
Billboard additionally recognized Def Jam Recordings Executive Vice President and GM Nicki Farag; Interscope's Vice Chairman Steve Berman; President of Universal Music Group Nashville Cindy Mabe. At Republic Records, Billboard additionally acknowledged Co-Presidents Wendy Goldstein and Jim Roppo along with Executive Vice President Gary Spangler.
Many of UMG's partners were recognized as well, including: Steven Victor, CEO Victor Victor Worldwide; Roc Nation founder Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Vice Chairman Jay Brown and CEO Desiree Perez; Wassim "Sal" Slaiby, CEO and Founder SAL&CO / XO Records and Universal Arabic Music; Disney Music Group President Ken Bunt; Primary Wave Founder and CEO Larry Mestel and President of Publishing Justin Shukat; Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of Cash Money Records; Big Machine Label Group Founder, President and CEO Scott Borchetta; Concord Music Group CEO Scott Pascucci and President Bob Valentine; HYBE founder Bang Si-Hyuk and Co-CEO's Lenzo Yoon and Scooter Braun and Big Loud Partners Seth England, Joey Moi and Craig Wiseman.
In 2021, UMG built on its track record of being the most successful company in the music industry. In the U.S. UMG artists claimed the Number 1 spot of the Billboard album charts for a record 38 weeks, whilst Billboard's year-end charts showed UMG had 8 of the Top 10 artists, and all of the Top 6 with Drake at No. 1, followed by Olivia Rodrigo, The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen and Ariana Grande; 7 of the Top 10 albums, including all Top 5: those by Morgan Wallen, Olivia Rodrigo and Pop Smoke.
About Universal Music Group
At Universal Music Group, we exist to shape culture through the power of artistry. UMG is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content. Featuring the most comprehensive catalogue of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. For more information, visit www.universalmusic.com.
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