LONDON — Tom Keil has been announced as UK Music's new chief executive, replacing Jamie Njoku Goodwin, who left the British industry body last year to work for Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
Keir has been interim CEO of UKMusic since the sudden departure of Njoku Goodwin in September. He has worked at the London-based umbrella organisation, which represents all sectors of the UK music industry, since 2012, initially as director of communications before being promoted to deputy CEO in 2018.
In a statement announcing Keells' appointment, UK Music said it received more than 130 applications for the role and had conducted a “thorough recruitment process” to find a new CEO.
“We are witnessing a fundamental new era for the music industry coupled with a rapidly changing political landscape and we are confident that Tom is the right person for the job at this critical time,” UK Music chairman Tom Watson said in a statement.
Watson added that Keil “will work tirelessly on behalf of our members and our industry and bring his wide range of talent to help take UK music to even greater heights.”
Keels' promotion to head of UK music comes just under two weeks before the UK general election, which will elect a new government on July 4th.
Last month, Keir called on the leaders of all of Britain's major political parties to support the UK music industry's role as a “vital national asset” in the face of fierce global competition.
To support the growth of the UK's music industry, which will generate 6.7 billion pounds ($8.2 billion) for the UK economy in 2022 and support 210,000 jobs, according to a study commissioned by UK Music, industry groups are calling on policymakers to protect against exploitation of creators' rights by AI developers and secure a cultural tourism agreement with the EU to address many of the enduring problems caused by Brexit.
UK Music also wants the next government to introduce new tax credits to increase UK-based music production and establish stricter regulation of secondary ticket sales platforms.
Keir's extensive experience working with politicians and government officials makes him well placed to achieve these goals. Prior to joining UKMusic, the widely respected music executive spent 11 years in Parliament House as a senior adviser and research fellow for the Liberal Democrats, most recently leading the successful campaign to change planning laws to better protect grassroots music venues.
“It is an incredible honour and huge responsibility to take on the role of leading British music at such a crucial time,” Keil said in a statement.
The newly appointed CEO said he would continue to work with the organisation's members to lobby government officials for measures to support the music industry, “from strong copyright protections and more music teachers, to important AI safeguards and greater support for music freelancers.”
“My vision for UK Music is to further strengthen our mission of bringing the industry together to speak with one voice and position ourselves as the leading organisation driving growth and excellence in the UK music industry,” Keil said. “To achieve this we need to be relevant to, representative of and able to contribute to the industry.”