LONDON (CelebrityAccess) — Hipgnosis Songs Fund announced the appointment of Robert Naylor as its new chairman and Non-Executive Director, effective immediately.
Naylor will step into the role vacated by Andrew Sutch, who was not elected to continue in the role by shareholders during a key vote in October.
With more than two decades of experience in capital markets and investment companies, Naylor is currently Chief Executive Officer of Intuitive Investments Group plc, an investment company which focuses on life sciences and technology businesses.
Additionally, Rob is a non-executive director of Light Science Technologies plc, a controlled environment agriculture venture. On the music side, Naylor most recently served as non-executive Chairman of Round Hill Music Royalty Fund Limited, prior to its sale to Concord.
His resume also includes positions within JP Morgan Asset Management Limited, Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited and Cenkos Securities plc. Rob is a qualified chartered accountant, having started his career with Ernst & Young in 1996.
“I’m excited to be joining Hipgnosis Songs Fund. I look forward to working with the Board and shareholders as we conduct the strategic review and put forward proposals for the future of the Company,” stated Naylor.
Hipgnosis also announced the appointment of Francis Keeling to the board as a Non-Executive Director, effective immediately.
Francis is an experienced media and music industry professional and is currently EVP of Business Development at Orfium, a leader in rights management solutions. Like Naylor, Francis was a Non-Executive Director at Round Hill Music Royalty Fund Limited until its recent sale and also held senior roles at Discovery, and Spotify, where he was global head of licensing. He also spent a decade as Global Head of Digital Business at Universal Music Group, overseeing recorded music licensing for all digital music services.
“On behalf of the Board, we are delighted that Robert and Francis have agreed to join Hipgnosis Songs Fund. Robert and Francis’s appointments follow extensive engagement with shareholders, and their experience and knowledge working with investment companies, most notably at Round Hill Music Fund, will be invaluable to Hipgnosis as we look ahead to the next chapter,” said Sylvia Coleman, Senior Independent Director of Hipgnosis Songs Fund.
