Former MTV executive Harriett Brand has been appointed to a newly created position, that of Senior Vice President, Business Development at Universal Music Group International, based in London. The appointment was announced by the company's chairman and Chief Executive Lucian Grainge, who said: "There is no one who better understands the power of artists and music in today's multi-platform, entertainment-driven marketplace than Harriett. Her experience, coupled with an instinctive ability to think and act strategically, make her the perfect person to help us to refine and energise our future business. I'm delighted that Harriett has chosen to bring her talent to Universal Music."
Brand joins Universal after 13 years at MTV, where she was most recently Senior Vice President of Music for MTV Networks International, playing a central role in the development of the MTV Europe Music Awards. In her new job, she will seek to nurture new relationships with prospective partners around the world. Brand says: "The whole working model for record companies is changing, which obviously makes this a very dynamic and interesting time. I know Lucian is determined to reinvent his business, and so to be part of that is magnetic to me. Some people question the future of the labels and have said to me that it's a good time to get out of the industry, but I believe the whole moment of re-imagining the business is a challenge for us. To be able to work with people who are determined to do that is a real privilege."