Rob Stringer, Chairman of Sony Music Entertainment

Rob Stringer is Chairman, Sony Music Group. In this role, he is responsible for leading the overall global activities of the world’s largest music publishing company and second largest recorded music company which is home to many of the world’s most accomplished international superstars and local artists, as well as a vast catalog of some of the most popular and important recordings in history. Sony Music Entertainment’s iconic record labels include Arista Records, Columbia Records, Epic Records, Legacy Recordings, Masterworks, RCA Records, Sony Music Latin and Sony Music Nashville, representing music from virtually every genre around the globe. Sony Music Publishing has a catalog of more than three million copyrights from some of the world’s greatest songwriters. Over the course of a more than three-decade career with Sony Music, Stringer has worked with a broad array of global superstars including AC/DC, Adele, Barbra Streisand, Beyoncé, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, The Clash, Daft Punk, David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Dixie Chicks, George Michael, Harry Styles, Jack White, John Legend, John Mayer, Pharrell Williams, Pink, Sade, Tony Bennett and Travis Scott. During that time, he has also been at the forefront of growth and innovation in the recording industry, expanding and evolving the company’s approach to both artist development and breaking hits. In addition, he has led hugely successful collaborations between the worlds of music, television and film, and drives the continued development of digital and interactive content strategies and platforms. Before becoming CEO of Sony Music Entertainment in April 2017, Stringer was Chairman and CEO of Columbia Records, one of the world’s leading record labels. Under Stringer’s successful leadership, Columbia ranked among the industry’s top labels by market share, with a roster including many of the most successful artists in the world. Over the course of his leadership, Columbia was home to some of the most groundbreaking releases and biggest commercial and critical hits of the last decade, including the record-breaking album “21” by Adele, the groundbreaking visual album “Lemonade” by Beyoncé and the final studio album by David Bowie, “Blackstar.” The label’s artists were awarded numerous Grammys, among them six wins for Adele in 2012, including Album of the Year for “21” and eight wins for Adele in 2017, including Album of the Year for “25.” Stringer started his career at CBS Records (later to become Sony Music) as a graduate marketing trainee in 1985. Rising through various A&R and marketing positions in the company, he became Managing Director of Epic Records in 1992, and Chairman of Sony Music UK in 2001. During this time, he worked with multiple successful UK artists including The Clash, George Michael, Jamiroquai, Sade, and Lightning Seeds, as well as Manic Street Preachers, who were his first signing in an A&R role. Stringer attended Goldsmiths College, University of London where he gained a BA Honours in Sociology in 1984 and was awarded an honorary fellowship in 2010. He currently resides in New York with his wife and two children, and, during non-COVID-19 times, regularly returns to the UK to watch his beloved Luton Town Football Club where he is a director and shareholder. Brought to you by the British Consulate General, New York. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.