Julian French to join Polydor

19 December 2013 - Press release

Julian French, one of the UK music business’s most respected senior lawyers, is joining Polydor as SVP and Director, Business Affairs with additional responsibility for Universal Music UK’s Capitol and Fiction labels.
 
French will join Polydor in the New Year from BMG Chrysalis UK, where he has been head of legal and business affairs since September, but is best known for the 17 years he spent at EMI.  As EMI’s SVP of Business Affairs, he was involved in many high profile deals with artists including Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Robbie Williams and David Bowie.
 
Polydor President Ferdy Unger-Hamilton worked with French when he was MD of Virgin Records under its EMI ownership and French was running EMI’s Business Affairs. He says: “Julian is as approachable as he is intelligent, and is the right man to shape our future relationships with the artistic community. He is also going to be a key part in our overall business, in sustaining Polydor being the number one label that artists want to sign to, not only for its great roster and staff but also for all the services it has to offer.”
 
French says: “I’ve been hugely impressed with the team at BMG in my short time there but the consistent years of success and the wonderful storied history of the labels and the individuals I will be working with in my new role means this was a really rare opportunity and an offer that was too good to turn down."
 
In addition to French’s arrival, Olly Rice is joining Polydor’s marketing team from Warner Music where he worked with Plan B, Paolo Nutini and Bruno Mars. Rice will report to Polydor’s General Manager of Marketing Orla Lee-Fisher.