As Sony Music Australia investigation kicks on, two executives exit

As Sony Music Australia’s independent investigation into its workplace culture rumbles on, two of its senior executives have left the company.

Pat Handlin, the music giant’s VP of A&R, is out, along with Mark Stebnicki, Senior VP of strategy, corporate affairs and human resources, according to The Sydney Morning Herald’s Nathanael Cooper, who also broke the news of Sony Music Australia’s sweeping review back in June.

Both executives’ departures were open secrets in the music industry, though a spokesperson for Sony Music in the U.S. confirmed to Cooper that both men were no longer employed by the company, though she would not be drawn into reasons for their departure.

Following the launch of internal and external investigation, the company’s longstanding leader Denis Handlin was let go in June, followed closely by Pat Handlin, Denis’ son, and Stebnicki.

TIO does not suggest Denis Handlin, Pat Handlin or Stebnicki have been accused of any wrongdoing as part of the investigation, which is reportedly ongoing. 

In June, some 20 ex-Sony Music Australia employees came forward to share allegations of a toxic workplace culture via The Guardian.

Sony Music is yet to announce a new leader for its Australia and New Zealand affiliate.  

The development follows several rounds of posts on Beneath The Glass Ceiling, the Instagram account that has been holding the music industry to task since November 2020, publishing anonymised accounts of bullying, harassment, assault, racism and more.

In recent days, Universal Music Australia became the second outpost for a global major music company to launch an independent investigation into inappropriate behaviour. 

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