Hipgnosis Song Management appoints new finance and legal chiefs The Hipgnosis Song Management company has announced two new senior hires, with Jon Baker appointed as General Counsel and Daniel Pounder becoming Chief Financial Officer.
Both previously worked at BMG alongside Ben Katovsky, who moved over to Hipgnosis as President and Chief Operating Officer last year.
Confirming the new appointments, he says: “I’m delighted to be working with Jon and Dan again. Both are exceptional executives who have a proven and highly successful track record in music acquisition, efficiently and effectively growing music businesses and ensuring that music catalogues enjoy the lasting success that they warrant and deserve".
Hipgnosis Song Management advises the two Hipgnosis funds that have been buying up lots of music rights, the publicly listed Hipgnosis Songs Fund and Blackstone-backed Hipgnosis Songs Capital. It also manages any music catalogues acquired by those two entities.
In his new role, Pounder will oversee HSM's finance and investment functions and the teams that deliver those services to HSF and HSC. Baker, meanwhile, will oversee the legal aspects of future catalogue acquisitions, as well as day-to-day legal and business affairs activities conducted on behalf of the two Hipgnosis funds.
Hipgnosis founder Merck Mercuriadis adds on the new hires: “It is always a priority for me to continually strengthen our executive leadership team to ensure we have the best institutional investment, finance and music capabilities and experience to deliver the next stage of development for Hipgnosis and our funds".
“This was the case starting with the appointment of Ben Katovsky as President and Chief Operating Officer one year ago”, he goes on, “and we’re delighted to welcome Dan and Jon to round out this process, particularly as this group of leaders have a proven successful chemistry of working together".
The new appointments come as HSF undertakes a strategic review following the recent continuation vote in which investors voted against continuation, forcing a reset of the way it operates. That review is seeking to allay the concerns of shareholders who have been increasingly critical about the Fund's board and also Hipgnosis Song Management.