Parlophone Chairman Miles Leonard stepping down after 23 years, Mark Mitchell to be co-President

Miles Leonard, long time Chairman of Parlophone Records, is stepping down from his role in January after 23 years. 

The move has been speculated for some weeks but was officially confirmed overnight by Max Lousada, CEO of Recorded Music, Warner Music Group, and also Chairman and CEO of Warner Music UK.

Lousada took over the WMG role on October 1, and has already made significant changes to Warner Bros Records in the U.S.

Leonard will stay on in an advisory A&R role at WMG until late 2018.

At the same time, Mark Mitchell has been named co-President of Parlophone, effective January 1.

Mitchell is currently GM of Atlantic Records UK, and played a significant role in Ed Sheeran’s phenomenal success. 

He’s also been involved in new releases by Anne-Marie, Plan B, Bruno Mars, Clean Bandit, Jess Glynne, James Blunt and Rudimental. 

Lousada said: “I couldn’t be happier that Mitch is taking on this role.

“He has the rare skill of understanding how to break artists as well as delivering massive moments for global superstars.

“He thinks like an indie while operating in a major, which means a diverse array of artists have flourished thanks to his expertise.

“This is a fantastic new chapter for Mitch and for Parlophone.” 

Speculation is that Parlophone’s other co-Chairman will be Virgin EMI’s SVP of A&R Nick Burgess. 

However, it is not known how long his contract with Virgin EMI still has to run.

Of Leonard, Lousada said, “Miles is the definition of music man. 

“Under his guidance Parlophone has discovered and championed seminal artists who’ve released important, much-loved music and been wildly successful doing it. 

“Miles has always understood that true artist development takes a lot of heart and he brings that to everything he does, so I’m excited for how his relationship with Warner will evolve and grateful for his extraordinary contribution to music over the past two decades."

Before joining Parlophone / WMG in 1995, Leonard was at Virgin Records, joining as an A&R scout.

His biggest signing there were The Verve, whose 1997 breakthrough Urban Hymns went on to sell 10 million worldwide. 

He got the top job at Parlophone in 1995, and for a time was also Chairman of Warner Bros UK where he added Royal Blood and Lukas Graham to the roster. 

His signings at Parlophone included Coldplay (worldwide sales of 90 million), Tinie Tempah, Stereophonics, Blur, Lily Allen and Gorillaz. 

He was also responsible for reviving the career of Kylie Minogue whose UK career had stalled when she was with Deconstruction Records. 

After she came to Parlophone in 1999, Leonard surrounded her with the right songwriters and producers. Her first single for the company, ‘Spinning Around’ was her first UK chart topper since ‘Tears on My Pillow’ in 1989 and shifted 80,000 units in its first week.

Leonard commented, “Working at Parlophone has been the adventure of a lifetime. 

“It’s been a privilege to be the custodian of a label that occupies such a unique place in popular culture and to have worked with so many unique and inspiring artists, managers and teams.

“It was a difficult decision, but now really is the right time for me to give up my day-to-day responsibilities so I can focus solely on the music and artists I love. 

“Mitch and I have known each other for many years. He is driven, passionate and he’s a great guy. 

“Stepping down is both easy and exciting when passing Parlophone on to a leader of his calibre. 

“I just hope he is also ready for the next 23 years…”