David Joseph CBE, the former Chairman and CEO of Universal Music UK, has joined The UK-based Royal Society of Arts (RSA) as its new CEO.<\/p>\n
Joseph will formally take up the post in September, succeeding Andy Haldane. Joseph exited UMG in September 2024 and began a Master\u2019s In Religion and Theology at King\u2019s College London.<\/p>\n
MBW understands that Joseph<\/span> has completed the first year of his MA and has delayed the final year to take on this role.<\/p>\n The ‘royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce’ is described as a “social impact charity that has been at the forefront of social change for 270 years”.<\/p>\n The org says that it continues to maintain a connection with the Royal Household; its Patron is the Princess Royal.<\/p>\n Described by the RSA as “one of the UK\u2019s most respected creative industries and media executives,” the organization said that Joseph “will bring to the RSA a unique blend of creative leadership and commercial expertise, alongside a commitment to the RSA\u2019s collaborative and inclusive values, its global Fellowship, now in the tens of thousands across 115 countries, and its role in effecting social impact over the course of its 271-year history”.<\/p>\n Joseph led Universal Music UK as Chairman and CEO for 17 years, overseeing what the press release noted on Tuesday (July 1) was “a period of extraordinary transformation and commercial success”.<\/p>\n Beginning his career in advertising before moving into music, Joseph rose through the ranks of artist development and label management, before becoming Chairman and CEO at Universal Music UK in 2008.<\/p>\n According to the RSA, his career to date “has been characterised by his values-driven approach to leadership, with kindness and collaboration at the heart of his approach”.<\/p>\n As well as chairing several BRIT Award shows, Joseph was also an executive producer of the Oscar and BAFTA-winning 2015 Amy<\/em> documentary.<\/p>\n Outside of his commercial achievements, the RSA noted that Joseph has “consistently used his platform to drive change”. He is credited with pioneering Universal Music\u2019s Creative Differences initiative in 2019, producing what’s claimed to be the first industry handbook for embracing neurodiversity in the workplace, which has reached more than 200 organisations across the globe.<\/p>\n Joseph was also a founding board member of Julie\u2019s Bicycle, helping to lead the cultural sector\u2019s response to the climate crisis, and served on the National Council of Arts Council England for eight years.<\/p>\n In 2013, Joseph worked with Baroness Doreen Lawrence to drive music industry support for Unity, to mark the 20th anniversary of Stephen Lawrence\u2019s murder. As Chair of the Grenfell Foundation, Joseph continues to advocate for justice and policy reform, focusing on community advocacy.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are thrilled that David will join us in the autumn, knowing that he will foster a collaborative and caring culture that speaks to our fellows, partners, staff teams and the wider world.”<\/p>\n Sir Loyd Grossman, RSA<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Sir Loyd Grossman, Chair of the RSA, said: \u201cDavid\u2019s commitment to effecting social change, his compassion and his commitment to nurturing people is exemplary.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are thrilled that David will join us in the autumn, knowing that he will foster a collaborative and caring culture that speaks to our fellows, partners, staff teams and the wider world.<\/p>\n “These qualities make David superbly placed to lead the RSA into its next vital phase, and we are thrilled to have him on board.\u201d<\/p>\n “I\u2019m excited to join such a talented organisation where we will build a bold new chapter together.\u201d<\/p>\n David Joseph CBE<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n David Joseph added: \u201cThe RSA has a remarkable heritage and untapped potential.<\/p>\n “At a time when fresh thinking and collective action are urgently needed across the globe, the RSA is uniquely positioned to drive meaningful change – uniting its rich tradition of arts, creativity and policy influence with the energy of its global Fellowship to spark ideas that shape society.<\/p>\n “I\u2019m excited to join such a talented organisation where we will build a bold new chapter together.\u201d<\/p>\n Joseph had been Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group\u2019s UK recorded music company since 2008, when he was promoted from his previous position as Co-President of Polydor.<\/p>\n He spent an unbroken 26 years at UMG, having first joined Universal as London-based Polydor\u2019s General Manager in 1998.<\/p>\n Joseph oversaw an era at Universal Music UK in which the company has been deeply involved in the global success of artists including Amy Winehouse, Mumford & Sons, Sam Smith, Take That, Stormzy, Florence + The Machine, The 1975, Snow Patrol, James Blake, and Hozier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Former Chairman and CEO of Universal Music UK will formally take up the post at the RSA in September<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":235153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[637],"class_list":["post-235150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-david-joseph"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235150"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":235173,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235150\/revisions\/235173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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