Cathy Oates joins Warner Music Australia

Veteran artist manager Cathy Oates leads a wave of incoming executive appointments at Warner Music Australia.

Announced Wednesday (July 14), Oates is the new Head of Marketing – Australian Artists, while Christina Erskine is tapped as SVP Marketing & Promotions Australasia.

“My main passion has always been developing and breaking Australian artists around the world,” comments Oates. “I now very much look forward to joining Warner Music and becoming part of the new team driving their inspiring roster of Australian artists.”

It’s a return to major-label-land for Oates, who logged six years at EMI Music Australia from 1997, including a stint as Head of Capitol Records, and with Sony Music Australia before that.

Cathy Oates

In 2006, Oates launched her management and consulting company Original Matters (Kira Puru, Megan Washington and Alex the Astronaut), and played a critical role in launching the careers of Dean Lewis, Angus & Julia Stone and others.

Meanwhile, Erskine joins the company following an eight-year-run with the Sydney Opera House, where she led the internal marketing, communications, and strategic events teams in the role as Director of Engagement.

“Joining forces with a new team of marcomms professionals is a unique opportunity to champion Australian and global creativity with diverse audiences at a dynamic time for the music sector, she comments in a statement.

Christina Erskine

Along with these appointments, Dan Ellis is named Head of Marketing – International Artists, with duties for Warner Music Group’s international roster; Anne Combe becomes Head of Marketing – Strategic at WMA; and former BBC Studios exec Rich Wiles is appointed as WMA’s Head of Audience.

Rich Wiles

The new hires are announced as Dan Rosen approaches the six-month mark in the top job at WMA.

“This is a key milestone in the evolution of our team at WM Australasia,” comments Rosen, President of Warner Music Australasia. “Cathy, Chris and Rich bring a diversity of experience and thinking to the company and are all enormously respected figures throughout the music business and the wider entertainment sector.

Dan Rosen

“They recognise the important role that music plays in shaping culture and the responsibilities that come with that.”

Together, he continues, “we are going to work with our artists to take their music to the world and connect with fans in ever more new and innovative ways”.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.