Executive Turntable: BBC Veteran to Drive AI Strategy at Epidemic Sound, Plus a Meta Music Leader Will Flex at DDEX

Stockholm-born music library giant Epidemic Sound appointed Danijela Horak as vice president of artificial intelligence, effective Sept. 1. Horak joins from the BBC, where she led AI research and advised the Responsible AI group, launching tools like BBC Transcribe and BBC Verify. With over 12 years clocked in media and enterprise AI — including leadership roles at AIG — the Londoner brings deep technical expertise at the company, where she’ll lead AI strategy and development of creative tools like AI voiceovers and smart audio recommendations, reporting to CTO Rikard Herlitz. “We’re really proud of the suite of AI-powered soundtracking tools we’ve developed for creators and believe we’re just scratching the surface in terms of improving their creative processes,” said Herlitz. Epidemic Sound’s AI strategy centers on enhancing human creativity, not replacing it, CEO Oscar Höglund told Billboard earlier this year. 

LOCASH’s Galaxy Label Group promoted Cheryl Broz to vice president of operations, and hired Mitch Mills as national director of promotion. Broz will lead digital initiatives and marketing strategy; prior to joining the Galaxy Label Group in 2024, Broz worked at Crave Records, Columbia Records, Arista Records, EMI, Island-Def Jam and Curb Records. Mills’s role will include all formats including Hot AC, pop, country and more. Mills most recently spent 15 years at Atlantic Records/Elektra and previously served as vice president of Adult Top 40 at Motown Records. –Jessica Nicholson

BOARD SHORTS: Dan Simpson, head of music operations at Meta, has been elected chair of the DDEX board, succeeding Kim Beauchamp of Universal Music Group. A longtime contributor to DDEX, Simpson has played key roles in working groups focused on digital sales reporting, release notifications, and streaming fraud detection… Neal Spielberg of Spielberg Entertainment has been elected president of the Leadership Music board for 2025–26. Leadership Music is a leadership program for the music industry that has graduated over 1,400 leaders nationwide (Spielberg is class of ’95). Joining him are Diane Pearson, Scott Gerow, Steve Eggart and Brad Bissell, along with six newly appointed board members.

A2IM made staffing updates, welcoming Grey Gordon as communications and digital marketing manager and promoting Chirag Patel to senior director of membership, and Emmaline McCourt to membership director. Gordon brings over a decade of experience in branding and digital strategy, having worked with Brooklyn Basement and indie artists like Oshima Brothers. Patel, known for expanding A2IM’s network of 800-plus companies, offers a global perspective from his work in India and the U.S. McCourt, who joined A2IM in 2023, now leads member onboarding and the mentorship program, which has supported over 700 pros. She also represents A2IM at conferences and serves on industry boards, including the Recording Academy’s New York Chapter.

iHeartMedia is transforming its Multi-Market Partnerships Group into the newly named Enterprise Business Development Group, led by longtime executive Julie Donahue. This move aims to better align sales and partnership efforts across divisions including Inside Sales, Unified Partnerships, and Political. Donahue, a 23-year iHeartMedia veteran, will serve as president of the newly formed EPDG. In this role, she’ll lead the integration of key sales and partnership divisions and collaborate closely with senior execs to drive strategic growth and unify biz operations across the company. CEO Bob Pittman and COO/CFO Rich Bressler called the change a “key step in strengthening iHeartMedia’s ability to maximize performance and drive long-term success.”

NASHVILLE NOTES: RED Creative Group named Kaileen Smith as director of A&R, where she’ll lead publishing operations and support the company’s writers and artists. Smith brings experience from Boom Music Group, UMG Nashville and Sony Music Nashville, having contributed to multiple No. 1 singles… GrassRoots Promotion welcomed promotion manager George Davis to the company. The move represents a flip from the broadcast side of the business; he most recently was KBXB Sikeston, Mo., midday host… While David Corlew recently sold his interests in Blue Hat Records, co-founded by the late Charlie Daniels, he remains president/executive director of The Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project, a veteran-affiliated nonprofit… Nashville-based VNTG PR rebranded as Sotis Entertainment Group, whose roster includes Chris Janson, Terry McBride and McBride & The Ride.

Day After Day Productions (DADP) announced a major leadership restructuring to support its continued growth and client-focused services. Aidan Flynn has been promoted to co-head of the newly formed casinos, corporates, and colleges division, alongside CEO Seth Shomes, with Jordan Golenberg named director. Michelle Scarbrough will lead the new theater/PAC/symphony division, joined by Olivia Bentley as director. Marcus Greenstein becomes head of fairs, while Josh Jones is elevated to director of central services & senior booking coordinator. Veteran agent Jordan Burger joins as senior agent, focusing on festivals and destination events. Additionally, Kafarrah Chavarria has been appointed acting director of human resources. DADP, relaunched by Shomes in 2021 and partnered with Yucaipa Investments in 2022, is an indie booking agency.

Nex Team Inc. appointed Helena Ngo as head of music, a newly created role where she will lead music strategy, licensing, and artist partnerships, reporting to vp Alex Wu. Ngo brings extensive experience from her previous roles at Fender, where she led artist marketing, and Dolby, where she helped launch Dolby Atmos Music with major streaming platforms.

Amuse announced Steeve Führ as its new chief financial officer, joining the Swedish digital music distribution company during its scale-up. Führ brings extensive financial leadership experience from roles at Benify, Edgeware and Apple Nordics, including successful IPOs and international expansion. In his new role, Führ will focus on global growth and financial discipline. “We are thrilled to have Steeve step into the CFO role at such a pivotal moment for Amuse,” said Giorgio D’Ambrosio, interim CEO. “His deep financial expertise and leadership will be invaluable as we continue to scale the business globally with a focus on long-term profitability.”

Last Week’s Turntable: Alfonso Perez Soto Exits WMG After 20 Years