Maria Murtagh-Hopkins Appointed Boiler Room’s Chief Strategy Officer

Global cultural platform Boiler Room has today announced the appointment of highly respected music-industry executive Maria Murtagh-Hopkins to the newly created position of Chief Strategy Officer, effective August 1, 2018. 

She joins Boiler Room at an exciting time of growth for the platform, which in just eight years has built an engaged global audience  for its award-winning content, reaching more than 180+  million people each month, whilst revitalising and reinventing the accessibility and delivery of live music and curated cultural content to audiences around the world.

The role will see Murtagh-Hopkins lead and implement Boiler Room’s global developmental strategy to take Boiler Room into new markets, diversify revenue streams and drive joint ventures, whilst reinforcing Boiler Room’s position as the leading voice in music and club culture internationally.  

Murtagh-Hopkins’ appointment follows the appointment of Stephen Mai as its chief content and marketing officer in April of this year, which  has seen Mai lead a newly formed division within the business and which has led to the launch of new content verticals including 4:3, Boiler Room’s streaming platform and cultural institution, alongside the recent appointment of the first ever Managing Director, Jodie Nicholson. Since its launch in May, 4:3 has reached more than 136.5 million people, and has generated more than 24 million views. Boiler Room content has been viewed more than 1.1 billion times globally since launch.

Maria comes to Boiler Room from Universal Music Group, where she most recently served as SVP, Creative, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships at Globe, Universal Music UK’s official creative and commercial strategic partnerships division.

Boiler Room founder Blaise Bellville said, 

“Maria’s appointment completes a newly formed, heavyweight senior team. She is renowned in the industry and brings a wealth of experience, connections and exciting ideas. Maria will help take Boiler Room into our next exciting phase, diversifying our revenue and driving expansion on an international scale.”

Maria Murtagh-Hopkins says: 

“At a time where music curation has never been more significant within culture, Boiler Room has revolutionised how global audiences can interact with and experience music anywhere in the world. Under Blaise’s leadership and vision, Boiler Room has quickly established itself as the most trusted, respected and authentic voice in music curation and I am honoured to join the senior leadership team at such an exciting time of expansion. We have only just begun to scratch the surface of what is possible in terms of delivering unparalleled and innovative cultural experiences to our audience, artists and partners. We will further establish the Boiler Room brand around the world, driving new opportunities for collaboration and revenue, as we increase our unique presence and visibility within some of the world’s most dynamic and high-growth markets.” 

As its founding Creative Director, under Maria’s strategic creative direction, Globe quickly established itself as the first fully-integrated agency within any global music company, offering a unique, unprecedented and award-winning full-stack service across creative and commercial partnerships, sync licensing and production for Universal Music’s market-leading artists, record labels and Abbey Road Studios. During this time, Maria worked closely with UMG parent-company Vivendi as a core member of its UK development committee, to help identify external investment opportunities and strategic synergies across Vivendi group companies, including: Universal Music Group, Gameloft, StudioCanal, See Tickets and Havas. 

Prior to Globe, Maria held positions at Universal Music’s Island Records and Sony Music’s Columbia Records, where she delivered Platinum-selling, strategic marketing campaigns for a roster of global artists including Childish Gambino, Nicki Minaj, Amy Winehouse and projects for Roc Nation & Scooter Braun.

Since 2010, Boiler Room has broadcast live from more than 150 cities around the world and it continues to break new ground and expand its global footprint, with an established presence in every major global market including India, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Australia and throughout China, Africa and Latin America alongside its own permanent broadcast hubs in London, NY, LA and Berlin.