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Warner Music UK Strengthens Senior Management Team

September 20, 2017

Peter Breeden Appointed COO & CFO

Mel Fox Appointed Chief Transformation Officer

Warner Music UK (WMUK) is strengthening its management team by announcing new roles for two senior executives: Peter Breeden becomes Chief Operating Officer, in addition to his existing duties as Chief Financial Officer, while Mel Fox has been promoted to Chief Transformation Officer. As members of WMUK’s senior management team, Breeden and Fox will report to WMUK Chairman & CEO Max Lousada, who becomes CEO, Recorded Music, WMG, on October 1.

Breeden will step into a broader operational role, helping to inform the company’s strategy as well as overseeing additional  business functions.  WMUK’s Commercial and Brand Partnership teams will now report to Breeden, and he will continue to head up the Finance teams.

Working closely with Lousada and the WMUK senior leadership team, Fox will focus on identifying and implementing change initiatives across the business, as well as helping to drive innovation, strengthen organisational culture and support growth opportunities. This will include working with the management team of The Firepit to accelerate the company’s original content and production activities.

“At Warner Music UK, we’re committed to building a new kind of music company, for our artists, our people and our partners. Peter and Mel are helping us achieve our collective ambition by pioneering new practices, expanding our expertise, and working hard to deliver outstanding results,” said Max Lousada. “Having dedicated his professional career to music, Peter is a wise, experienced and trusted advisor to me and our label heads, and he’ll do a tremendous job evolving our central operations so we’re even more responsive to the needs of our artists. Through her experiences in a wide range of industries, as well as her contributions to Warner during a decade of disruption, Mel has become an inspiring leader and an insightful, inventive agent for change. I’m very happy to announce these important promotions and look forward to working with Mel, Peter and the wider team as we chart the future of WMUK.”

Peter Breeden has been with Warner Music since 2001, initially joining as part of the Atlantic Records team, before being named VP Financial Operations, Warner Music International in 2008, and eventually SVP & Finance Director for WMUK in 2012.  He was named CFO in 2014, becoming a member of the company’s senior management team alongside his responsibilities for financial planning, budgeting and reporting across the WMUK and Ireland businesses. His music industry experience goes back three decades, including royalty/finance positions at EMI and then finance roles at Universal in both the UK and Australia.

Mel Fox joined Warner Music International in 2006 as VP, Corporate Communications. Having risen to SVP, Strategy Development and Communications at WMUK, she worked to help define and drive the company’s ongoing transformation, including playing an integral role in the creation of The Firepit, WMUK’s creative content division, innovation centre and recording studio. Prior to Warner Music, Fox was VP, Communications for MTV UK & Ireland, overseeing corporate and consumer PR for the company’s family of channels. She has also worked with The Walt Disney Company and Yahoo!.