Six Aussies make it onto International Power Players list

Six high profile Australian executives have made it among 73 global names on the International Power Players list.

Compiled by Billboard magazine, the ranking was topped by Ed Sheeran’s manager Stuart Camp, for obvious reasons.

The six made it in three categories:

LIVE

Michael Coppel, chairman, Live Nation Australia: for huge success with tours by Adele, Bruno Mars, Roger Waters and, coming up, P!nk’s Beautiful Trauma Tour which he told the magazine “sold out 40 arenas in a heartbeat.”

RECORDING

George Ash, president, Universal Music Asia Pacific: for his role in opening up the Universal Music Group’s marketing, distribution, licensing and acquisitions in the Asia Pacific (a region “exploding with entrepreneurial energy” he described) and Australasia.

Michael Gudinski, chairman, Mushroom Group: both for achievements in the recorded side with Liberation, and high flying tours with the record-shattering Ed Sheeran, Paul McCartney and Foo Fighters. “I’ve been living the dream,” he told the magazine.

Denis Handlin, chairman/CEO of Australia and New Zealand, Sony Music Entertainment; president of Asia, SME: the energetic Handlin’s achievements included overseeing his acts swoop seven categories at last year’s ARIA awards, charity work which was recognised by an Order of Australia, a new deal with China streaming giant Tencent and reports “significantly increased” regional A&R with new offices in Vietnam and the Philippines.

PUBLISHING

Kim Frankiewicz, executive VP of worldwide creative, Concord Music: after beginning in Australia with INXS, Frankiewicz headed overseas, setting up in Imagem and then moving to Concord where this year she signed UK artist Justin Parker, who co-wrote Lana del Rey’s ‘Video Games’ and Rihanna’s Stay’.

Andrew Jenkins, president of Australia and Asia Pacific, Universal Music Publishing Group: for renewing a deal with China’s Tencent for use of UMPG songs on its massive streaming services, and renewed deals with Tom Waits and his wife Kathleen Brennan, and the estates of Bee Gees Robin and Maurice Gibb.