UK Music, the collective voice of the UK music industry, has
announced Tom Kiehl will be its new chief executive.
The UK Music Board of Directors appointed Tom after an extensive
recruitment process, which attracted more than 130 applicants.
He takes on the role at a critical time for UK Music and the
wider industry ahead of the arrival of a new Government following
polling day on July 4.
With more than two decades of experience working in and around
Westminster, Tom will spearhead the sector's cross-party
engagement with Ministers, MPs, policymakers and Government
officials.
Moving up from his present role as UK Music Interim Chief
Executive, Tom starts this month in his new role leading a sector
that contributes almost £7 billion to the UK economy and supports
210,000 jobs.
Most recently, Tom has led the UK Music team's continued
engagement with senior politicians, Government officials and
other key stakeholders ahead of the General Election.
This included the production of the organisation's comprehensive
Manifesto for Music, which details the
sector's asks of the new Government – some of which are already
enshrined as commitments in the manifestos of the Labour,
Conservative and Liberal Democrats.
Welcoming the appointment, UK Music Chair said:
“The UK Music Board is looking forward to working with Tom to
help him progress his exciting ideas to ensure the UK music
industry continues to grow and retain its unique place in the
world.
“We are entering a critical new era of change for the music
industry when the political landscape is also rapidly changing.
At this important time, I'm confident Tom is the right person for
the job.
“He will be a tireless advocate for our members and our sector –
using his wide range of talents to drive UK Music to even greater
heights.”
Tom Kiehl said:
“It's an immense privilege and great responsibility to take on
the role of leading UK Music at such a pivotal moment.
“I am looking forward to working with our fantastic members to
press their case with the new Government for the changes we want
to see – ranging from strong copyright protections and more music
teachers, to key safeguards around AI and greater support for
music freelancers.
“I want young people across the UK to see our industry as the
most inclusive and exciting place to work, and one which will
reward their talents.
“We need to turn this moment of considerable political change
into a moment to achieve change for UK Music.
“My vision for UK Music is to build on our mission of bringing
our sector together to speak with one voice and secure our place
as the key organisation that fuels the growth and prominence of
the UK's music industry.
“We must be relevant, representative, and able to deliver for the
sector in order to achieve this.”
Tom is one of the UK's most experienced and well-respected music
industry public affairs specialists.
He was an architect of the Live Music Act, designed to deregulate
live music performance from entertainment licensing, and
navigated its passage through Parliament while working in the
House of Lords.
Tom joined UK Music in 2012 as Director of Public Affairs and was
promoted to Deputy CEO in 2018.
It was during this time Tom coordinated the successful
Parliamentary campaign to introduce the “agent of change”
principle in planning rules to protect music venues.
He organised a successful judicial review of government plans to
introduce an exception to copyright for private copying without
fair compensation.
He also steered the music industry through the early days of the
COVID-19 pandemic during his first stint as acting CEO,
responding quickly to the evolving crisis.
More recently, Tom has led campaigns on the challenges of
generative-AI to the music industry, the continuing impact of
Brexit on touring musicians and the sector's work to make the
industry more diverse and inclusive.
Tom has been UK Music's Interim Chief Executive since September
2023 following the departure of to become Prime
Minister Rishi Sunak's Director of Strategy.
Previously, Tom worked in the Houses of Parliament for 11 years
as a senior advisor and researcher in the Liberal Democrat Whips'
Office in both Government and Opposition.
He is a member of the Creative Industries Council, Creative
Industries Trade and Investment Board, the National Plan for
Music Education Monitoring Board, Power of Music Implementation
Group and LIVE Touring Working Group.
UK Music represents all sectors of the industry – bringing them
together to collaborate, campaign, and champion music.
The members of UK Music are: AIM, BPI, FAC, The Ivors Academy,
MMF, MPA, MPG, MU, PPL, PRS for Music. UK Music also has an
informal association with LIVE (Live music Industry Venues &
Entertainment).
