Michael Ryan-Southern to join Warner Music Group as EVP, Corporate Development

 

 

Michael Ryan-Southern (MRS) is being appointed by Warner Music Group (Nasdaq: WMG) to the newly created post of Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, effective August 5th. MRS, who comes to WMG with two decades of investment, finance, and music industry experience, most recently served as Global Head of Music & Live Entertainment Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs.

 

MRS will lead all stages of M&A activity, working in partnership with WMG's leaders and departments to identify and acquire companies and catalogs that can enhance WMG's growth and earnings. He will report to WMG CEO Robert Kyncl and be based at the company's New York headquarters.

"The market is filled with opportunities, in both recorded music and music publishing, and across different geographies," said Kyncl. "We're bullish on the long-term value of music, and having someone with Michael's domain expertise and wide-ranging network run point on M&A will supercharge our efforts."

"This is an incredibly exciting time to be in the music industry, and WMG's entrepreneurial spirit and tech-forward approach make it a tremendously welcoming environment for both artistic creativity and business innovation," said MRS. "I'm excited by Robert and the team's vision for the company, and I'm looking forward to working with him and the entire WMG team to help grow and evolve the company into the future."

 

While at Goldman Sachs, MRS was the Head of Music & Live Entertainment Investment Banking team, leading several landmark deals across the music & live entertainment industry. Prior to joining Goldman in 2021, MRS spent eight years in senior leadership positions among a number of Mubadala Capital and Mubadala Investment Company portfolio companies including Deputy CFO at EMI Music Publishing and President of the Hakkasan Group. MRS started his career at KPMG in London and later in New York where he spent several years advising businesses on M&A and International Tax & Treasury planning.

MRS was named to the 2024 Billboard Power 100 list in Finance. He holds an MBA degree from Columbia Business School which he obtained through their executive program, a master's degree in tax law, and a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance.

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