THE REVOLVING DOOR

Pascale Khalaf has been promoted to the influential role of VP Synch & Licensing at Warner/Chappell Music UK. Based in the WMG-owned company’s London offices, she will report to Richard Manners, Warner/Chappell Music UK’s Managing Director.

Patti Coleman has been named Senior Vice President and Head of Business and Legal Affairs at Rhino Entertainment, the catalogue division of Warner Music Group.

London's Southbank Centre has appointed Bengi Ünsal as its senior contemporary music programmer. Ünsal was previously director of Salon at the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV). 

Stu Bergen has been promoted to the newly created post of CEO, International and Global Commercial Services for Warner Music Group (WMG).

UK-born independent music publisher Sentric Music has appointed publishing veteran Peter McCamley as Creative Director. McCamley also joins the business’s board.

Dror Erez, who was part of the team that sold Melbourne-based festival promoter Totem OneLove Group to SFX Entertainment in 2014 has left the company. His move came two days after SFX’s filing for chapter-11 bankruptcy. Two other directors, James Beatty and Amanda Hough also resigned. The company operates the Stereosonic festival and the A State of Trance festivals in Australia. Remaining director Richie McNeill, who co-sold Stereosonic to now-bankrupt SFX in 2014, is upbeat about the future of the Steresonic festival said that SFX “going into a chapter 11 [bankruptcy] and a restructure, potentially wiping out the equity from the shareholders, […] is a great outcome” and reveals that “there’s a lot of good stuff coming: new events, there’s expansion in terms of the touring side of the business… [the SFX bankruptcy] doesn’t affect us.”

Geoff Kempin

Music video licensing company VPL HAS announceD the appointment of Geoff Kempin as its new Chairman, following the retirement of Fran Nevrkla as Chairman at the end of 2015. Kempin has been a director of VPL since its inception in 1983 and continues to be Executive Director of Eagle Rock Entertainment. 

Keith Jopling has joined Spotify’s London office as the new Global Head, Strategic Intelligence for the streaming company.

Michael Pallad, formerly Apple Music's Director of Sales, has joined New York-based ad-tech platform Undertone.

Nancy Skipper has been appointed the new general manager of the European Arenas Association. Skipper, who is a founding partner in live events company Ginger Owl Productions, has been an administrator to the executive for the National Arenas Association for the past eight years.

Echo Arena Liverpool has appointed Kay Wilson as its new head of sales. She joins from the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC), where she was general manager of live entertainment sales.  

Universal news: Charlie Walk, has been promoted to President of UMG's Republic Group, effective immediately. At the newly formed Republic Group, Walk will create business opportunities, as well as providing marketing and promotional services to partner labels, including American, Brushfire, Casablanca, Cash Money, John Varvatos, Lava, Monkeywrench and XO Records.

In other UMG news, Major restructung at UMG has resulted in significant job losses.  Universal Music Group International (UMGI) division has lost some 50 jobs in London and restructuring was also undertaken at Los Angeles-based Capitol Music Group in November/December last year. MBW understands that around 35 jobs were cut during this period, including a string of promotions and marketing staff. Prominent names believed to have gone included VP of Promotion Howard Petruziello, plus Marketing Director Matt Kroepel and VP of Publicity Juliana Plotkin.

Dr. Alexander Buhr has been appointed Managing Director of Universal Music’s London-based Decca Classics, succeeding Paul Moseley, who is promoted to Senior Vice President of Strategic Content and Partnerships, Global Classics.

Polydor marketing exec Liz Goodwin is ending her 14-year tenure at the UMG imprint and heading to Glassnote to become MD of the indie label's UK office. 

And Pascal Nègre - the man who has led Universal Music France since 1998 - is leaving the major. Olivier Nusse, Managing Director of Mercury Music Group and Universal Classic & Jazz in the region, has been appointed CEO of Universal Music France, succeeding Nègre.

Miami attorney Leslie Zigel, known for representing Pitbull and other Latin stars including Colombia's Carlos Vives and urban hitmaker Wisin, has joined the Florida firm Greenspoon Marder Law.

Veteran agent Tony Gold has left UTA to join Concerted Efforts in Somerville. Before UTA, he was at the Rosebud agency for 15 years.

Matthew Lazarus-Hall is to stand down as CEO and co-director of Michael Chugg’s Chugg Entertainment, one of the leading concert promoters in Australia. Lazarus-Hall is stepping aside to focus on his young family and start his own consultancy business, through which he will continue to run the CMC Rocks QLD festival operations.

Ryan Wright, has been promoted to Chief Marketing Officer at Kobalt’s New York office, a position in which he will oversee marketing, communications and client experience for Kobalt and its brands (including Kobalt itself, plus Kobalt Neighbouring Rights, Kobalt Label Services, AMRA and AWAL).