The Ivors Academy today announced that Graham Davies will be stepping down as its Chief Executive to take up the role of President and CEO of DiMA (Digital Media Association).
In a statement, Davies said, “I am very proud to have led The Ivors Academy for the last five years. We delivered an ambitious plan that has restored the Academy to its place as a strong, influential and diverse voice for songwriters. We have taken the Ivor Novello Awards to new and bigger audiences, provided new member benefits, raised significant sums for charity and provided more opportunities for our talent pipeline. We have put songwriters and composers at the heart of everything we do, meaning the Academy is well-positioned for future success. I would like to thank the Board, Senate, and staff for their support and dedication.”
Charlie Phillips, previously Chief Operations Officer at Worldwide Independent Network and Director of Legal and Business Affairs at AIM (Association of Independent Music), will be interim CEO while the search for a new Chief Executive is underway.
Tom Gray, Chair of the Academy, said, “The Board of The Ivors Academy would like to thank Graham for the hugely positive impact he has had at the Academy and his tireless efforts to advocate on behalf of songwriters in the industry. His dedication and hard work during his time as Chief Executive has been exemplary and has led to a period of ambitious growth and transformation of the Academy for which we are very grateful. We wish him all the best for the future and look forward to continuing to work closely on streaming reforms.”
Currently joint CEO of both The Ivors Academy and The Ivors Academy Trust, Davies is a well-respected figure in the music industry. He has held senior positions at PRS and played active parts on industry boards with UK Music, the Council of Music Makers and the British Copyright Council.
In his time as CEO Graham led the influential Fix Streaming campaign and gave evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee inquiry that called for a “complete reset” of streaming. He co-founded the Credits Due to drive improvements to song metadata so that songwriters and composers are properly paid and accurately credited.
Under his leadership, the Academy has grown its reputation and impact through strategic partnerships with Amazon Music, PRS for Music, Apple Music, YouTube and more. He is committed to increasing equality, diversity, and inclusion in the music industry and has launched a series of ground-breaking initiatives in this area, including TheWRD from The Ivors Academy diploma in Creative Entrepreneurship, Advocacy Accelerator and pay gap reporting.
