Photo:  Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, and Tim Ingham, Founder, Music Business Worldwide. Photo credit: Chris Frazer Smith, courtesy of Music Business Worldwide.

UMPG Chairman and CEO Jody Gerson received The International Executive Of The Year award, sponsored by PRS For Music, at the 2025 Music Business UK Awards, presented by the founder of MBW, Tim Ingham. 

The International Executive award recognizes a non-British company leader who has substantially furthered the prominence and success of UK and Irish music over the previous 12 months.

Accepting the award, Jody Gerson said: “At UMPG, we will continue to sign British and Irish songwriters locally - and support them globally. The work of a music publisher is a constant fight to ensure that songs are valued and that songwriters are properly compensated - whether in streaming, on emerging digital platforms, or especially now with AI. But I want every British and Irish songwriter to hear this: I am on your side. I wake up every day with one overriding mission - to protect human songwriters. On that, I will never waver. I am deeply grateful for this honor. I am in service to British and Irish music - and I always will be. Thankyou.”

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Watch Jody Gerson's acceptance speech on Instagram