Kris Ahrend is the Chief Executive Officer of The MLC, where he leads the organisation in its mission to ensure songwriters, composers, lyricists, and music publishers receive their mechanical royalties from streaming and download services in the US accurately and on time. Under his direction, The MLC has achieved total royalties distributed of nearly $3 billion and grown membership to over 55,000 members to date. In recognition of the organisation’s impact under his leadership, The MLC received the Music Business Association’s 2024 Impact Award for Technological Excellence, honouring its innovative approach to solving challenges in the modern music industry. Earlier this year, The MLC was also named one of Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies, underscoring its continued commitment to technological and operational excellence.

Alkis Argyriadis has been working at Ubisoft for more than 25 years. After graduating in Sound Design, he worked as a video game Audio Director for 10 years at Ubisoft Paris Studio on a wide range of video games such as Red Steel, XIII, Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow and Ghost Recon among others. Alkis has been particularly involved in the design and development of interactive music systems.

He then became Creative Director of music video games such as Michael Jackson The Experience and ABBA: You Can Dance, before directing the internationally acclaimed Just Dance franchise for eight years as Brand Creative Director.

Since 2019, Alkis has been managing the international Ubisoft Music team, which is based in Paris, Montreal and Shanghai, and which handles music supervision, licensing, publishing and artist partnerships within the company.

Emmanuel (Manu) Bachet started music at age 15 and has worked in the industry as a sound engineer, arranger and producer. He joined Ubisoft in 1999 and has been a music supervisor for more than 100 video games since.

Colin Barlow was just 17 years old when he took his first job as a talent scout for CBS records, scoring his first ever hit single with Owen Paul’s You’re My Favourite Waste Of Time. He was swiftly poached by Warner Music where his A&R skills took Aztec Camera’s Love album Platinum. In 1990, he set up Wildcard Records signing The Lighthouse Family, while also working for Polygram Music Publishing, providing A&R for Dinah Carrol and East 17. He joined Polydor in 1992 where he continued to work with the Lighthouse Family while plotting the meteoric rise of pop sensations Boyzone and Girls Aloud. In 1997, he was promoted to Joint Managing Director of Polydor, leading the company through the most successful period in its history, working with The Kaiser Chiefs, The Scissor Sisters, Snow Patrol, James Morrison, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Klaxons, Elbow, Kate Nash, Daniel Bedingfield, Ms Dynamite, Ronan Keating, Take That, Eminem, Pussy Cat Dolls, Dr Dre and Queens Of The Stone Age. In 2009, Barlow moved to Geffen, signing The Wanted, Fyfe Dangerfield, The Saturdays and Shirley Bassey. Barlow joined Sony Music as Managing Director of RCA Records in 2012. Since then, RCA has released David Bowie’s first No.1 album in 10 years, as well as growing the careers of a swathe of new talent such as Paloma Faith, Kodaline, Laura Mvula, and Bring Me The Horizon, as well as bringing Pharell Williams to RCA with his incredible worldwide smash Happy. Since leaving Sony Music, Barlow set up his own music company called Merrystar, which was responsible for Bow Anderson, a collaboration with Jamie Scott. He also created a publishing company and has now formed a management and production company with music manager Wayne Russell. They have created a stable of exciting new acts including XO (signed to Polydor), CTRL (signed to Universal) and Gregory Fisher signed to (Sony Germany). He has a label venture with Metrophonic Studios called Stanley Park (which has a deal with the Orchard) and has also enjoyed a period of time working for Marv Films on soundtracks for The Kingsman and Tetris.

Annette Barrett has held the position of Managing Director at Reverb Music, one of the UK’s most successful independent music publishers, since 2001. During that time, she has worked with high profile and successful songwriters, including Nitin Sawhney, Jamie Hartman, Peter Gordeno, and Matteo Saggese. Following the company’s 2012 acquisition by New York-based independent music company Reservoir, Barrett’s role has expanded to include the pursuit of intercontinental opportunities for the company’s international roster, which now includes talented names such as Cutfather, Katie Melua, and Lucy Rose. Barrett began her career in music publishing 30 years ago, in the Copyright Department of UK-based independent music publisher, Carlin Music. She worked her way up the industry ladder, eventually to the role of International Director at Virgin Music.   Over the course of her career, Barrett has signed and worked with a long list of world class songwriters and recording artists, including David Bowie, George Michael, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Madonna, Prince, Sting, and The Police, to name just a few. Even with such an impressive roster under her belt, Annette remains dedicated to the development and promotion of new talent, helping up-and-coming writers hone their skills and discover the markets that best suit their unique sensibilities. In 2020, she was elected President and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Independent Music Publishers International Forum (IMPF).

Nicky Bignell has worked in the UK broadcasting industry for over 30 years, specialising in music rights for television, radio and online. She currently negotiates the BBC’s blanket music licences, and is responsible for the BBC’s relationships with music industry bodies in the UK including the MPA, Musicians’ Union, The Ivors Academy, PRS for Music, MCPS and PPL/VPL. Bignell oversees a team of music rights experts who are responsible for music reporting, sync, clearances and contracting composers to write new music for the BBC’s output.

Over four decades, Sat Bisla has established himself across A&R, DJing, journalism, media hosting, artist management, and corporate advisory. As a renowned A&R executive, Bisla has worked with record labels such as Arista Records, Atlantic Records, BMG, Capitol Records, Columbia, Concord, Epic, EMI, Interscope, Island Records, LAVA Records, Nettwerk, Parlophone, RCA, Warner Records, and many others. Through his expertise, he has played a crucial role in discovering, developing, and/or signing many artists who have achieved multi-Platinum global success. Beyond his work with labels, Bisla founded the groundbreaking global A&R Network, a pioneering resource for record labels, publishers, and creatives, during his tenure as Global Vice President A&R Network at Clear Channel Radio and Entertainment (now Live Nation). He also contributed to the evolution of The New Music Network, now known as iHeartMedia. In 2006, Bisla launched Pangaea Entertainment Group, which houses prominent brands like A&R Worldwide, MUSEXPO, and Worldwide Radio Summit. His radio show, Passport Approved, is globally syndicated and serves as a tastemaker platform for pre-discovery music. It has been broadcasted on over 80 radio platforms worldwide, including notable stations like KROQ Los Angeles, KNDD Seattle, KNRK Portland, Q101 Chicago, Flux FM Berlin (Germany), Radio Doble Nueve Lima (Peru), Radio 1 Mumbai (India), and many others and has featured guest hosts including Apple’s Zane Lowe, and Worldwide Executive & President  of Music at EA Games, Steve Schnur. Bisla has also been a DJ on KCRW, KCSN, and the late critically acclaimed Indie 103.1FM in Los Angeles. Bisla’s influence extends to his involvement in discovering, pivotal early support, and/or helping with the signing of artists Adele, Dido, Lime Cordiale, Keane, Muse, LMFAO, Coldplay, Mia Rodriguez, Forest Blakk, KONGOS, Sheppard, The Temper Trap, The Ting Tings, Lorde, Katy Perry, Jessie J, Tove Lo, Wolfmother, Bonnie McKee, Missy Higgins, Sia, Gavin James, Lily Allen, Picture This, VELLA, and many others. Bisla’s contributions have been celebrated and honored by the City of Los Angeles, City of Burbank, and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. In 2019, he received AMEC’s Founder’s Award for his unparalleled contributions to media, music, and entertainment.

Linda Bosidis is Co-CEO of Mushroom Music. Founded in 1972 by the late Michael Gudinski, Mushroom represents a diverse range of iconic songwriters and catalogues from Australia, New Zealand, and around the globe.

Bosidis began her music career at APRA in 1990, where she established Melbourne’s first Writer Services Department. For 23 years, she served as Head of A&R and Creative at Mushroom Music before stepping into her leadership role in 2019.

Known for her deep commitment to songwriters and storytelling, Bosidis leads a passionate, future-focused team dedicated to championing the voices and visions of songwriters. Her strategic and creative leadership has helped shape a culture that prioritises artistic authenticity and long-term career sustainability. 

Over the years, she and her team have collaborated with an impressive roster of artists, including Kylie Minogue, Vance Joy, Amy Shark, Julia Jacklin, Missy Higgins, Kehlani, alt-j, Middle Kids, Wolf Alice, The Teskey Brothers, grentperez, London Grammar, The Temper Trap, Gordi, Budjerah, Hunters & Collectors, Archie Roach, The Triffids, Yothu Yindi and many others.

Christophe Caurret is Music Creative Director at Publicis France and has been Director of Art & Stories for Prodigious‘ creative department, since September 2021. Caurret began his career in the business affairs office at Virgin Records after obtaining a master’s degree in law. In 1999, he joined BETC ad agency as Music Creative Director, working for major brands including Evian, Lacoste, Air France and YSL. He was involved in the production of several records and helped set up the General Pop department. Caurret has been very active in the music industry: he was Artistic Director of the ‘Panik’ evenings at the Élysée Montmartre, a music event dedicated to the electro scene; launched the music label Pop Records under licence from Universal; and is still the manager of the artist Yuksek.
As Creative Director for Music at Publicis France, he works alongside all of the agency’s creative directors and is committed to strengthening expertise in musical creativity.
Meanwhile, under his leadership, Prodigious has received numerous awards in the sound category at the Clio Awards, Grand Prix Stratégies and Prix de la création musicale CSDEM, and most recently earned a golden record single for the collaboration between the artist JUL and the Oasis brand. 

Solange Cesarovna is a Cape Verdean singer and songwriter, celebrated as the ‘Queen of Morna of the 21st Century’ and recognised as one of the greatest cultural icons of the Lusophone world. Cesarovna currently serves as Vice President of the African Music Academy (AMA) and the International Council of Music Creators (CIAM), and is also the first-ever CLIP Champion of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), leading global advocacy for creators’ rights and African music. As a founding member and former President of the Cape Verdean Music Society (2013–2023), Cesarovna played a key role in the historic transformation of the collective rights management sector in her country.

Vincent Degiorgio is the CEO of Cymba Music Publishing, based in Toronto. Cymba is home to award-winning songwriters and artists such as Logan Richard, Mia Kelly and Joce Reyome as well as bands such as The Free Label, Absolute Losers and Shred Kelly. Overseeing an entire roster of genre free creators, Cymba has been nominated in four consecutive years by the Guild Of Music Supervisors in Canada for Best Indie Publisher and represents 20 international catalogues domestically. Degiorgio has served on the Board of Music Publishers Canada for over a decade. As a songwriter, he has received five SOCAN No.1 awards, writing for the likes of Caro Emerald, Love Inc., N Sync and Japanese pop stars LEAD.

Emmanuel Delétang is CEO and founder of 22D Music Group – a music publishing company with expertise in the management of music rights and a special focus on audiovisual industries. Delétang started in the music industry working for Sacem in 1996, then spent 10 years managing the French arm of British music publishing group Palan Music Publishing. In 2006, he founded 22D Music Group with his partners and friends Yolanda de Felipe and Sören Bauermeister, respectively MD of 22D Spain and 22D Germany. 22D is a boutique company by essence, with a worldwide coverage. It is a direct member of 25 CMO’s, with a team of 22 people in Paris, and offices in Berlin, New York, Los Angeles, Madrid and London. Delétang has been a member of the IMPF Board for the past six years. Along with other members of the team, 22D has made a significant contribution to the success of the Palma Global Music Summit.

Atay Dervish began his career with Universal/PolyGram Music Publishing in 1996, initially managing the data entry team, rising to Global System Administration Manager with responsibilities including maintaining the company’s worldwide publishing system. After 10 years at Universal, Dervish moved to Reverb Music in May 2006 to take up the position of Head of Copyright & Royalties. His role has expanded enormously over his 18 years with the company, particularly since Reservoir acquired Reverb Music in 2012. Atay is responsible for the registration and administration of over 150,000 works worldwide, liaising with an intricate network of sub-publishers and collection societies, integrating new catalogues under the Reservoir umbrella, dealing with copyright infringement and conflict resolution. Additionally, Dervish oversees Reservoir’s royalty function in the UK and across the globe, ensuring that royalty processing is completed accurately and efficiently for distribution to over 800 clients, as well as dealing with songwriters directly on any queries. Some of the clients Dervish works with regularly include 2x Ivor award-winning Jamie Hartman, hitmaker Jon Green, Depeche Mode keyboardist Pete Gordeno, and Roxy Music lead guitarist Phil Manzanera, among others. Dervish has become an ICMP appointed representative of the Society Publisher Forum (SPF), a joint initiative of CISAC and ICMP that is supported by the AIMP, IMPA and IMPF aimed at improving the rights management lifecycle. He also recently joined the SPF’s Steering Committee, alongside various working groups including the ICMP’s Metadata Expert Group.

Michelle De Vries is an experienced music industry executive with excellent credits on both sides of the Atlantic spanning a 30-year career. She has worked across a number of sectors including music management, publishing, and production, and most recently as a freelance music supervisor and consultant to film and TV production companies for the past 10 years. Her current projects require a diverse range of skills, including negotiating, structuring and drafting licensing deals, working within UK and US music union agreements, overseeing global performing rights, booking orchestras and recording studios around the world, sourcing featured artists and session musicians, and engaging and working with composers to deliver a finished score. She has also been involved in post release work, organising special screenings of films and liaising with press and radio contacts for PR purposes. Today, one third of De Vries work consists of music supervision for sports films and documentaries – including the All Or Nothing series for Amazon, the acclaimed Sunderland Til I Die for Netflix, and the award-wining, Manchester United film, The Class Of ’92.A third of her work is spent supervising music biopics such as the Bafta-nominated Bros film After The Screaming Stops, and the Berry Gordy biopic, Hitsville, The Making of Motown.The final part of her work is music supervision of drama and animation projects, highlights of which are Oscar-nominated A Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, and the acclaimed BBC TV drama series The Capture. Michelle is a Co-Founder of Estra Mile Music. 

Born in 1983 in Brussels, Belgium, Thomas Duval started his musical career in his teenage years by working as a DJ and organising parties in his hometown. He launched and operated the electronic music label « Pelican Fly » from 2011 to 2020, with releases such as Cashmere Cat, Canblaster, Sinjin Hawke and the Picard Brothers. Having built artistic connections through his label and his DJ career, he took an A&R position at Because Music in 2017 and worked on projects such as Diplo, Major Lazer, oklou, Cerrone, Charlotte Gainsbourg and many others. Duval joined publishing company Strictly Confidential in late 2023, to develop a strong catalogue of exciting artists, writers and composers. His first signings for Strictly Confidential include French artists such as Moussa, Calogero, kahnji and Ajna, and Belgian artists such as Adja, Isaac Roux, and Bram de Looze.

Jane Dyball is a music industry veteran and strategic consultant. Formerly CEO of the £200m turnover businesses owned by the Music Publishers Association, she steered MCPS into financial recovery, paying down its £20m debt and overhauling its relationship with its owners, customers and service providers. In 2018, she won the Outstanding Contribution award at Music Week’s Women in Music Awards, in 2019 she won an Ivors Academy Gold Badge and, in 2022, the MPA Gold Badge.
Prior to that, Dyball spent over a decade running Legal & Business Affairs internationally at major publisher Warner/Chappell Music and was additionally responsible for international digital strategy, developing markets and public policy. Dyball is passionate about access to opportunity in the arts. She is Co-chair of Attitude Is Everything, Co-founder of the Primadonna Festival, a Trustee of Suffolk Artlink, and a mentor for tech music incubators including Abbey Road Red. She is a founder Advisory Board member for Music Tech UK and has a business transformation consultancy business, Laffittes Ltd.

Andrea England is an award-winning singer-songwriter, the founder, curator, and host of Toronto’s hottest songwriter series, Four Chords & the Truth; has released two critically-acclaimed albums (with a third album slated for release in October 2023); regularly lands film & TV placements; and has had cuts with a wide variety of artists from Canada’s Canadian Country Female Artist of the Year, Meghan Patrick, to international popstar Nicole Scherzinger. On the business side, this self-published songwriter (Lemonade Factory Music) also supports music publishers and other self-published songwriters as Associate Director of Publisher Engagement and Strategy at CMRRA, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Songwriters Association of Canada.

Tomas Ericsson CEO of AMRA, brings over 20 years of extensive experience in the music industry, holding key leadership roles at STIM and Kobalt Music Group. At STIM, he served as CFO, EVP of Media Markets, and Deputy CEO, playing a pivotal role in strategic initiatives like the ICE joint venture with PRS. Transitioning to Kobalt, he excelled as President, Society Relations, strengthening industry relationships and advancing music rights management. His diverse background also includes leadership roles at Universal Pictures, Dell Computers, and Skandia America, enhancing his expertise in financial management and strategic decision-making. 

Monique A. Göschl is Policy Advisor at Film And Music Austria (FAMA), the trade association for the film and music sector. Her professional experience in interest representation for the creative sector, content protection, and film distribution gives her a practical, cross-sectoral perspective on business and governance. Goeschl sees music and audiovisual works as vital cultural expressions and economic factors, and engages regularly with small enterprises that produce and distribute these works. She is committed to advancing opportunities and capacity-building in the music and film sectors, supporting music supervision professionalisation through networking and knowledge sharing.

Tim Ingham is the founder and Publisher of Music Business Worldwide, which has serviced the global industry with news, analysis and jobs since 2015. London-based Ingham is a well-known music industry analyst and commentator, who has written about the business for the likes of The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer, The Daily Mail and NME. Between 2018 and 2021, he penned over 100 columns analyzing the music industry for Rolling Stone. In 2017, Ingham was presented with a Gold Badge Award by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA), which honours “those who have worked tirelessly to support the British songwriting and composing community”. In 2014, he was named one of the world’s 500 Most Influential Britons – and one of the 20 most influential British music execs – by The Sunday Times & Debrett’s. In 2009, he was named Editor Of The Year at Future Publishing PLC.

Emmanuel Legrand is a Washington, DC-based journalist and consultant, specialising in the entertainment business and cultural trends. He is currently the editor of the Creative Industries News platform and President of Legrand Network, a media consultancy company.

Robert Levine is an Editor at Large at Billboard, based in Berlin. Previously, he was the Deputy Editorial Director of Billboard, where he led the team that ran Billboard Pro and coordinated coverage of the music business. He is the author of the book Free Ride, which the New York Times Book Review called “a book that should change the debate about the future of culture.” The book, his first, was also praised by Businessweek, Fortune, and the Financial Times. As a writer, he has covered pop culture and technology for almost three decades and contributed to Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Businessweek and The New York Times; appeared as an expert on NPR, the BBC, and CNN.

Helienne Lindvall is the President of the European Composer & Songwriter Alliance (ECSA), as well as an award-winning professional songwriter, musician and columnist. She’s the former Chair of the Ivor Novello Awards, Board Director of the Ivors Academy and Trustee of the Ivors Academy Trust. She’s also the writer behind the Guardian music industry columns Behind The Music and Plugged In, and is the former Head of Business & Songwriter relations for song data management platform Auddly/Sessions, backed by hitmakers Max Martin and Abba’s Björn Ulvaeus, and Director of Business Development and Artist Relations, LANDR UK. Hailing from Sweden, Lindvall worked as a session singer, recording artist and performer in Stockholm and NYC before settling in London, where she signed a publishing deal with BMG Scandinavia and, later, Universal. Since then, she’s been working with recording artists on both sides of the Atlantic, including Roger Sanchez, with whom she wrote the club hit Turn On The Music, Big Daddy Wilson and The Dark Tenor, collaborating with award-winning writers including Jörgen Elofsson (Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears), Patrik Berger (Icona Pop, Robyn), Steve McEwan (Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood) and Negin Djafari (Becky Hill, Drake, Craig David). In 2016, her song A Better Man made the UK Eurovision finals. Recent releases include Unwant You and Locked In Your Love with Menrva, Glass Keys and Dani Senior, and Let My Love Shine Through with Ada Vox. Lindvall has written columns for Digital Music News, The Musician, The Australian and STIM-Magasinet. She regularly appears on Sky News, the BBC, Irish National Radio and Swedish National Radio, discussing songwriters’ rights, copyright and other music industry issues.

With a first class music degree, Sarah Liversedge Platz’s career blossomed initially at the BBC: starting out as a TV Floor Manager moving to Researcher and then to Liaison Executive to heading up the music publishing division at BBC Worldwide. In 2004, Liversedge Platz set up her own independent music publishing company, BDi Music which, 20 years later, is a thriving, multi-million pound business that has earned Ivor Novello, BAFTA, RTS and Kerrang Awards. BDi owns and controls a highly reputable and valuable catalogue of songs including over 30 Ed Sheeran co-writes. Liversedge Platz is also Director A&R at Bucks Music Group, Director of The Movement London and Board Director of The Music Publishers Association Ireland. She is one of the key industry advisers on the PRS Foundation Momentum Fund. Liversedge Platz has personally been the recipient of several industry awards and nominations, including a Gold Badge Award from The Ivors Academy in 2017 and a Gold Badge from The Music Publishers Association in 2024. She received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from Bath Spa University in 2022. 

Jonna Lohi Peltola is a Music publisher and manager working globally out of Stockholm, Sweden. Dua Lipa, Avicii, Cardi B, DJ Khaled, Florida Georgia Line, James Arthur, Iggy Azalea, TAEMIN, TXT, Marshmello, Astrid S, Benjamin Ingrosso, Veronica Maggio, 1.Cuz and Hov1 are a few of the artists who have released songs written/produced by clients Lohi Peltola has represented throughout the years.

Jakue López is the International Partner Engineering Manager at YouTube Music Publishing. He and his team help build solutions so that CMOs, music publishers and songwriters get compensated for their music usage on YouTube. With an MSc in Sound & Music Computing at Universitat Pompeu Fabra’s Music Technology Group in Barcelona, he has over 10 years experience in online publishing royalty distribution processes where he keeps finding ways to bridge the gap and impact in his two passions – Music and Technology.

Paulina Márquez García Moreno is a music supervisor with 20 years of experience within the film and music industries and a Master’s degree in Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship from Goldsmiths, University of London. She is co-founder of Schiev, a music festival based in Brussels dedicated to discovering, promoting and mobilising the independent and experimental music scene in Europe. She currently lives in Barcelona, where she continues her career working in Mexican, Spanish and British productions for platforms such as Netflix, Amazon and Apple. Among her work are titles such as Elite, The Burning Body, and Hurricane Season, in addition to a long lasting collaboration with Mexican director Manolo Caro.  Márquez García Moreno is a member of the UK & European Guild of Music Supervisors and an advisor for the Asociación de Supervisión Musical de Habla Hispana. She has also collaborated in various international workshops and panels at forums such as Spot+, Primavera Pro, BIME, to name a few, as well as having been a guest lecturer at Berklee College of Music, giving a seminar/workshop on music supervision for two consecutive years.

Elizabeth Matthews is CEO of the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP). Under her leadership, ASCAP has posted record-breaking revenues and distributions year-over-year for 10 consecutive years. For public performance rights in musical compositions, ASCAP delivered $1.835 billion in revenue in the 2024 calendar year, an increase of $98 million, or 5.7% over 2023 with $1.696 billion available for royalty distributions, up by $104 million, or 6.5%. As CEO, Matthews has worked with top licensees in streaming, radio, TV and more to secure higher royalty rates for songwriters, worked tirelessly to advocate for music creators’ rights on Capitol Hill, and championed technology investments and initiatives that are shaping the future of music while protecting the rights of creators. ASCAP is the only US performing rights organisation that operates on a not-for-profit basis and delivers 90 cents on every dollar collected back to its members as royalties with a 10% operating ratio.

Niclas Molinder is a songwriter, music producer and musician who now also runs several organisations to innovate in music industry data and rights management with a focus on music creators. After 20 years of songwriting and producing for artists such as Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Mary J Blige and The Jonas Brothers, as well as running his own publishing company RedFly Music, the Swedish entrepreneur decided to help solve the music industry’s value gap. In 2014, together with Max Martin, Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA and Avicii originator Ash Pournouri, Molinder founded Session – the world’s first independent global hub for authoritative pre-registration music metadata sourced from creators. Molinder’s vision is to set a standard for how the roles of music creators and their representatives are identified within a song so that everyone is credited and correctly compensated when their music is used. In 2016, together with Max Martin and Björn Ulvaeus, Molinder also launched the Music Rights Awareness Foundation – an apolitical foundation that works to increase knowledge of music rights worldwide, adjusted to the future industry.

Angela Ndambuki is the IFPI Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa. She works across the region’s 46 markets to promote the value of recorded music, campaign for record producer rights and champion the local recording industry. Angela holds a Master of Laws Degree in Intellectual Property Law from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Nairobi. She has over 15 years’ experience in collective management and, prior to joining IFPI, she served as the CEO of Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and previously as CEO of the Performers Rights Society of Kenya. She currently serves as the Chairperson of Kamp Copyright and Related Rights Ltd (formerly Kenya Association of Music Producers.) With several accolades to her name, including being a Billboard Women in Music Honoree and being listed as a WIPR Leader, Ndambuki is also an accomplished author, composer, performer and producer of sound recordings.

Teri Nelson Carpenter is the Founder and CEO of Reel Muzik Werks, LLC. An innovative full service independent music publisher that specialises in global writer and publisher administration, licensing and clearance, and music supervision for all media. Her executive experience includes a background in performing rights management at BMI in Film & TV Relations, and overseeing the global music business for Fox Family Worldwide and Music Production & Administration for MGM. Carpenter has been responsible for either score music and/or placements of songs in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol II, Spiderman: Homecoming, Conjuring 2, Puss In Boots, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Handmaiden’s Tale, Big Sky, Versace: A Crime Story, America’s Got Talent, Dancing With The Stars and NCIS: Los Angeles to name a few. Carpenter serves on the Executive Board of the IMPF and is a member of the IPAC for the NMPA. She is the President Emeritus of the AIMP LA Chapter and recently served as the first AIMP National Chair. Carpenter is also the Publisher Chair of the CISAC SPF A/V Group. She is also a member of NARAS, CMA, ACM and Leadership Music – Class of 2022.

Goran Obad is a Founding Partner and Music Director at Ohlogy, which he founded in 2011. Obad leads music direction and executive production across film, television, and commercial work. With a background as a producer and musician, he brings a deep creative sensitivity and an instinct for narrative to every phase of the music process — from early story development to final mix.

His work has shaped the music identity of some of Scandinavia’s most celebrated screen productions, including The Worst Person In The World and Listen Up!, as well as the sonic and music identity of leading brands. Raised between cultures and trained in musicology and the politics of sound, Obad is drawn to projects that explore identity, memory, and emotional nuance. This perspective informs his curatorial voice and collaborative style — one that values both artistic ambition and practical clarity.

Gadi Oron is Director General of CISAC, the International Confederation of Authors and Composers Societies. In this role, he oversees the activities of the world’s largest network of authors societies, covering more than 120 countries and representing over 230 collective management organisations and 5 million creators of music, film, TV, literature and visual art. An entertainment and intellectual property lawyer, Oron has had leading roles in different sectors of the music and creative industries. An expert in international copyright and entertainment law, he held both private practice and in-house positions and represented the creative sector to governments, legislators, and international bodies. Oron serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the international standard for audiovisual works identification number (ISAN) agency. He is also Visiting Professor at Queen Mary, University of London, where he teaches on copyright and the creative industries. He is one of the specialist editors of Copinger & Skone James On Copyright and authored book chapters and articles on copyright and intellectual property. He has been named by Legal 500 as one of the leading lawyers in France, and by Billboard and Variety magazines as one of the top Power Players in the international music industry.

As Chief Executive Officer of peermusic, Mary Megan Peer directs the largest privately owned music company of its kind, operating in 39 offices from 32 countries with well over a million titles owned or administered and over 200+ employees worldwide. Peer is a third-generation music publishing executive with a Wall Street background. In 2023, peermusic opened in its 32nd  country with the acquisition of Arctic Rights Management, the largest indie music publisher in Norway. The deal, led by Mary Megan Peer, gave peermusic the publishing rights to Arctic Rights Management’s 5,000+ recordings and compositions, and includes over 40 active writers who have joined the peermusic worldwide roster. In 2022, Peer also led a sub-publishing deal with Hipgnosis including the catalogs of Neil Young, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Chrissie Hynde. She spearheaded a blockbuster deal in 2020 that helped establish peermusic neighboring rights, an international partnership comprised of peermusic, Global Master Rights, Premier Muzik, and All Right Music. This deal instantly vaulted the newly formed Peermusic Neighbouring Rights into one of the leading independent neighbouring rights companies in the world. Its client roster encompasses 300+ record labels and 3,000+ performers, including Billie Eilish, Imagine Dragons, DJ Snake, Metallica, Jacques Brel, Jean-Michel Jarre, Leonard Bernstein, Megan Thee Stallion, Finneas, Lady A, Lang Lang, Lizzo, Panic! At The Disco, Migos, and David Guetta. Mary Megan Peer also led the acquisition of the largest independent K-pop publisher in Korea in 2016, adding Korea to the company’s global network, along with 40,000 Korean copyrights and works by K-pop groups BTS, EXO, and Monsta X. Since then, peermusic writers have garnered  #1s in Korea by NCT Deam, ITZY and Apink, among others. Peer previously led the opening of peermusic’s first office in mainland China, becoming the first global independent in mainland China. She had previously established a successful joint-venture partnership in China, which made peermusic the first Western independent publishing company to directly sign Chinese writers. Mary Megan holds a BA with honors from Stanford University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. Peer has been named in Billboard’s Power 100, Women In Music and Global Power Players lists, featured in Music Business Worldwide’s Inspiring Women, and is also a Broadway producer.

Cécile Rap-Veber holds a master’s degree in contract law and private international law and a certificate of aptitude for the legal profession (Capa) from the Paris Bar. A lawyer at the Paris Court of Appeals, she joined Universal Music France in 2000, where she was Director of Legal & Business Affairs, then Director of Universal Music Consulting & Content (UMCC) until 2013. She joined Sacem in 2013 as Director of Licensing and a member of the Executive Committee. In 2016, her responsibilities were extended to International, in 2019 to Operations and in 2020 to Development. In these various roles, she was in charge of negotiation and collections relating to media, phonographic and videographic formats, digital exploitation, private copying and international. She oversaw the management of Sacem’s repertoire and the distribution of the royalties collected for the exploitation of works in Sacem’s repertoire in France and abroad. She was also responsible for the development and management of online mandates entrusted to Sacem by British and American publishers — including UMPG, Wixen, Warner Chappell, Impel, Wise Music — and initiated and supervised the deployment of the global digital data processing and BI platform known as URights. Rap-Veber is also CEO of the Society for the Administration of Mechanical Reproduction Rights (SDRM). She is Vice-President of the Board of Directors of Copie France and a member of the board of Directors of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (Cisac), and of the Centre national de la musique (CNM). In October 2021, Rap-Veber was appointed as CEO of Sacem.

Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement recipient, Dr. Nitin Sawhney CBE displayed virtuosity as a classical and jazz pianist and flamenco guitarist from the age of five, later studying sitar and tabla as a teenager. Though he began studying law, Sawhney’s passion for music prevailed, leading him to score over 70 films, many garnering industry awards for the music, including The Namesake, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, and Disney’s Tiger (earning Sawhney a 2025 BAFTA nomination following his BAFTA award for BBC’s Human Planet TV series). He is currently composing for a major, unannounced film project, while his video game scores, such as for Ninja Theory’s Heavenly Sword, and multiple award winning scores for dance and theatre, showcase his narrative finesse. His 13 solo albums, from Beyond Skin (2000 Mercury Prize nominee) to IDENTITY (2023), fuse global genres, earning MOBO and BBC Awards amongst many others. Sawhney’s collaborations include Paul McCartney, Anoushka Shankar, Norah Jones, Jorja Smith, Sting and Pink Floyd – where he joined as a full member for their 2022 single Hey, Hey, Rise Up!  He is also an acclaimed producer, most recently for Rod Stewart and Jools Holland’s UK No.1 album Swing Fever (2024).

Performing with his band at the Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, and Glastonbury, Sawhney has also conducted and written for many orchestras (most notably the LSO), and DJ’d extensively internationally, including a residency at London’s Fabric. As a part time university lecturer (including Stanford University), holding nine doctorates from Hertfordshire, Kent, and others, Sawhney, is the inaugural patron (formerly chair) of the PRS Foundation and a Complicité Board member with many exciting forthcoming projects ahead.

Mandar Thakur is CEO of Times Music, one of India/South Asia’s leading music entertainment companies spanning a record label, music publishing, talent management and a music brand solutions businesses. Times Music is a JV between Indian media conglomerate – The Times Group and US-based Primary Wave Music. Times Music has two sub-labels – Junglee Music, which releases film music OSTs (including Bollywood, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi and other languages) and the next-generation independent music platform, ‘ffs.’.
Mandar began his career in Hong Kong with The Entertainment Co. group working for their Asian concert promotion business in the early ‘90s, after which he helped set up the path-breaking News Corp-owned music TV station Channel [V] in India. He subsequently created the digital music landscape in Asia, as part of the founding team at Soundbuzz, then Asia/India’s largest digital music distribution company, which was acquired by Motorola in early 2008. Mandar also chairs the Board of PPL India, is on the Board of IPRS, PDL and industry association IMI; and is the first Indian / Asian executive to be honoured with the ‘International Music Person of the Year 2025 ‘award by Musexpo, Los Angeles, together with the City of Burbank.

Rasmus Thord Having previously worked at Memfis Film and as a freelance music supervisor for film and TV productions, Rasmus Thord paired with Li Stanley in 2021 to form Solid Music Supervision. The company provides end-to-end music services, including music supervision, music production, third-party rights clearance, artist collaborations, original scoring, music licensing, and legal expertise. Solid Music Supervision has become one of Scandinavia’s leading companies focusing on music supervision, known for its unique ability to align musical elements with storytelling. Its work has shaped the auditory landscape of several acclaimed projects, such as Mika Gustafsson’s feature film Paradise Is Burning, Lukas Moodyssons Tillsammans 99 and Painkiller by Gabriela Pichler.

Ellen Truley is the Chief Marketing and External Affairs Officer at The MLC, where she leads communication operations and drives the organisation’s marketing initiatives, while overseeing government, industry, and songwriter relations. She cultivates strategic partnerships both domestically and internationally, managing relationships with key stakeholders such as publishers, streaming platforms, and other relevant entities. Truley also directly engages with songwriters, composers, and music creators to understand their needs and provide essential support and resources. In addition, she spearheads The MLC’s efforts to attract, engage, and educate prospective members through targeted programs and collaborations with prominent music industry groups, contributing directly to the organisation’s growing membership, which now exceeds 60,000.

Originally from Bordeaux, France, Marion van der wees spent several years in Nashville and Los Angeles before relocating to London, where she founded VDW Music Group — a management and publishing company representing songwriters and producers across the UK, US, and Europe.  Van der wees has carved out a specialty in the K-pop space, placing songs with major artists and groups including JIN (BTS), ENHYPEN, NCT, RED VELVET, TXT, AESPA, and more. Passionate about connecting cultures, she is committed to bridging the gap between Eastern and Western music industries and expanding that vision globally.

Chris Wahle, aka Christian Wahlberg, is a Swedish Diamond and multi-Platinum certified songwriter, producer and topliner with broad international success. Having a wide musical palette and understanding of sound, melody, production and topline, he is able to cover many different markets and styles from K-pop and J-pop in Asia to western radio pop and urban beats, working with artists and writers ar0und the globe. Selected cuts and releases include artists such as ZeroBaseOne, The Boyz, Cosmic Girls, Taeyeon, Cravity, AOA, Show Luom, NMIXX and many more.

Paul Williams is one of the most beloved and respected music creators in the world today. A lyricist and composer who has won an Oscar Award, three Grammy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, an Ivor Novello International Award and earned induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Williams’ timeless classics range from We’ve Only Just Begun, You And Me Against The World and The Rainbow Connection, to Touch and Beyond on Daft Punk’s chart-topping Album of the Year, Random Access Memories, on which he also performed, receiving a Grammy as a featured artist. As President and Chairman of the Board of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), he is also a leading spokesman for music creators in the digital age.  

Williams’ standards have been recorded by such diverse musical icons as Ray Charles, David Bowie, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Diana Ross, The Carpenters, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Luther Vandross, Willie Nelson, Gonzo and Kermit The Frog. 

Although Williams is widely known as an actor in dozens of films and on television, it is his musical legacy that continues to inspire. His songs and scores have received six Oscar, nine Grammy, six Golden Globe and two Emmy nominations. The Rainbow Connection, from the children’s classic The Muppet Movie, has been added to the Library Of Congress’ National Recording Registry, a collection of “audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.” It is also one of two Williams songs that grace the American Film Institute’s List of Top Movie Songs of All Time; the second, Evergreen, is from the award-winning Barbra Streisand/Kris Kristofferson remake of A Star Is Born. Additional song scores include the cult favorites Phantom Of The Paradise and Ishtar, as well as The Muppet Christmas Carol, Bugsy Malone, and Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas, the latter of which has been adapted for the stage and opened to rave reviews. Williams also created the story and wrote the songs for Disney’s Emmy-nominated A Muppets Christmas: Letters To Santa, and I Wish I Could Be Santa Claus was performed on the Estefan Family Christmas album. Williams’ collaboration with Gustavo Santaolalla has included the animated film, The Book of Life, which received a World Soundtrack Award for their Apology Song and, more recently, If It’s To Be, performed by Kali Uchis for Maya and The Three. Williams is currently working on a stage version of Pans Labyrinth with Gustavo, Guillermo del Toro, and JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot LIVE.  

In addition to music creators’ rights, Paul is also passionate about recovery and works tirelessly to destigmatize alcoholism and addiction. Sober 35 years, his humorous observations of life, love, and creativity, augmented by the education and knowledge he gained through his studies and certification from UCLA as a Certified Drug Rehabilitation Counselor, have been shared in a best-selling book co-written by Tracey Jackson, entitled Gratitude And Trust: Six Affirmations That Will Change Your Life, which was featured on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday. While publicly lauded for his work as a songwriter, author and actor, most recently for his role with Billy Bob Thornton in Goliath, Williams predicts he’ll be remembered for playing Little Enos in the Smokey And The Bandit trilogy and for his lyrics to The Love Boat theme. However, it is the lyrics from Bugsy Malone that aptly sum up his philosophy: “You give a little love and it all comes back to you; You’re gonna’ be remembered for the things that you say and do”.  

As a devoted husband to writer Mariana Williams and proud father, Paul considers  his son Cole, and daughter Sarah, to be his best work.  

Lindsay Wolfington is the owner of Lone Wolf Music Supervision and President of the Guild of Music Supervisors. Passionate about music and what it brings to the moving picture, Wolfington has been working in music supervision for over 20 years. She is known for her work on One Tree Hill, where she featured over 1,700 songs from breaking artists to iconic names like Led Zeppelin and U2, and more recently for her work on Searchlight’s Theater Camp, Nickelodeon’s Monster High: The Movie and Netflix sensations To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, To All the Boys: PS I Still Love You, and To All the Boys: Always and Forever.  Wolfington’s recent work includes XO Kitty (Netflix), Virgin River (Netflix), Sullivan’s Crossing (CTV/CW), Time Cut (Netflix), Monster High 2 (Nickelodeon), and Love At First Sight (Netflix), as well as upcoming films I Wish You All The Best and Jingle Bell Heist. Wolfington received a Children’s & Family Emmy Award nomination for her work on Monster High: The Movie. She has won four Guild of Music Supervisors Awards and has been nominated 11 times.  Wolfington is the current President of the Guild of Music Supervisors. She is a graduate of Brown University and currently teaches Music Supervision to graduate students at USC’s Thornton School of Music.