LONDON – Tom Kill has been announced as the new chief executive of UK Music, succeeding Jamie Njoku-Goodwinwho left the trade body of British industry last year to work Prime Minister Rishi SunaK.
Kiehl held the role of interim chief executive at UK Music following 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 working as director of public affairs before being promoted to deputy chief executive in 2018.
In a statement announcing Kiehl's appointment, UK Music said it had received more than 130 applications for the role and carried out an “extensive recruitment process” to find its new CEO.
“We are entering a critical new era of change for the music industry, when the political landscape is also changing rapidly. At this important time, I am confident that Tom is the right person for the job,” he said Tom WatsonUK Music Chair, in a statement.
Watson went on to say that Kiehl “will be a tireless supporter of our members and our sector – using his wide range of talents to take UK Music to even greater heights”.
Kiehl's promotion to head of UK Music comes less than two weeks before the UK general election on July 4, when the country goes to the polls to elect a new government.
Last month, Kiehl called on the leaders of all the main British political parties to back the UK music industry's role as a “core national asset” facing fierce global competition.
To help grow Britain's music industry, which generated £6.7 billion ($8.2 billion) for the country's economy in 2022 and supports 210,000 jobs, according to research commissioned by UK Music, the trade group wants policymakers to protect creators' rights from being exploited by AI developers, as well as securing a cultural tour deal with the EU to tackle many of the lingering issues caused by Brexit.
UK Music also wants the next government to introduce a new tax credit to boost UK-based music production and introduce stricter regulations for secondary ticketing platforms.
Kiehl's extensive experience working with political and government officials means he is well placed to strive to achieve these goals. Before joining UK Music, the widely respected music executive worked in Parliament for 11 years as a senior adviser and researcher for the Liberal Democrat party. More recently, Kiehl led a successful campaign to change planning legislation to better protect grassroots venues.
“It's a huge privilege and a great responsibility to take on the role of leading UK music at such a pivotal time,” Kiehl said in a statement.
The newly appointed CEO said he would continue to work with the organization's members to lobby government officials for measures to support the music industry “from strong copyright protection and more music teachers, to basic safeguards around artificial intelligence and greater support for independent music professionals”.
“My vision for UK Music is to build on our mission to bring our industry together to speak with one voice and secure our place as the key organization fueling the growth and visibility of the UK music industry Kiehl's said. “We need to be relevant, representative and able to deliver results for the industry to achieve this.”
