Kobalt hires Kenney Shiu to grow Asia Pacific

PRESS RELEASE:

Kobalt Music Group has announced today that Kenney Shiu will be joining the organization as Director of Kobalt Music Publishing, Asia Pacific. Shiu will be based in Hong Kong, China and will report directly to Simon Moor, Managing Director of Kobalt Music Group, Australia. In this role, Shiu will work closely with the global publishing team to provide a more expansive level of service and focus on the already existing Kobalt roster of artists and writers in the Asia Pacific markets. Furthermore, Shiu will be critical in introducing the Kobalt model and technology to bring greater transparency and efficiency into the region.

Kenney Shiu commented on the appointment to his new role at Kobalt, “Many companies have only recently expressed an urgency for increased efficiency and transparency, but Kobalt are the pioneers. I’ve always been impressed by Kobalt’s vision, innovation, and commitment to excellence regarding technology and client services. When I was presented with the opportunity to join an organization that is so positively changing the music industry, I knew it was the right decision — and it is with great pleasure that I am now a part of the revolution.”

On Shiu’s hiring, Richard Sanders, President of Kobalt, stated, “Asia is the next giant step in Kobalt’s evolution towards a globalized music economy. We’re lucky to have someone of Kenney’s caliber join the team. His local knowledge and experience will enhance and strengthen our relationships and introduce the Asian creative community to the Kobalt model.”

Simon Moor, Managing Director of Kobalt Music Group, Australia, said, “Kobalt is very selective about who we hire, we look for the right cultural fit, and the most talented professionals who understand both the creative and business side of the music industry on a global scale. Kenney Shiu is certainly one of the unique executives within this business and has tremendous experience throughout the Asian market – we know he will bring exceptional value to the Kobalt artists globally, supporting the mantra of transparency and trust along the way.”

As a seasoned music industry professional, Shiu started his career as a professional accountant at Ernst & Young and later joined Rock Music Publishing and Warner Music Hong Kong as the finance executive. Before joining Kobalt, Shiu was the Director of BMG Greater China and Managing Director of peermusic (S.E.Asia) Ltd. During his stay with peermusic, he managed the company’s business in Asia and completed the acquisition of various catalogues such as Big Bang Music and J.Music, as well as investing in the leading music publisher in South Korea – Music Cube. Shiu completed the first two Asia catalogue acquisition deals for BMG before he left.