Black Founders Programme Who's Involved

George joined Sure Valley Ventures in April 2022 as a Principal. He has nearly a decade of experience in the capital markets focusing predominantly on high growth companies. Prior to Sure Valley Ventures, he was an Investment Manager at ACF Investors (an early-stage VC which co-invests alongside domain expert-led syndicates of angel investors) , where he played an active role in investing and portfolio management with early stage companies.

George started his investment career at Shore Capital as an Equity Research Analyst, with a sector focus in Online Retail and eCommerce as well as helping companies IPO. He has also held roles at family office Growth Partner LLP and U.S. based investment firm Aegis Capital Corp.

With 15 years experience in the industry, Hazel is a music-tech lifer, guitarist and former CEO/Co-Founder at Musiio. She started her music-tech journey as an early employee at Shazam and spent time understanding the pain points of the industry at Pandora, Universal and HMV before launching Musiio in 2018 and then selling the business to SoundCloud in 2022.

Hazel travels globally speaking at conferences and talking to catalogue owners about the value of artificial intelligence integration and digital transformation in the music industry. As a female founder in the heavily male-dominated industries of music and tech, Hazel seeks to offer insights with interesting and humorous anecdotes, as well as easy-to-follow explanations and use cases of artificial intelligence technology.

Based in UK, Dave Haynes is partner at FOV Ventures, backing founders building the Metaverse. Dave previously led HTC’s $100m Vive X fund in EMEA and was part of the investment team at Seedcamp (Fund III). Metaverse-related portfolio and angel investments include Wave, LIV, ReadyPlayerMe, Crucible and many others. Prior to investing, Dave founded two of his own startups and was part of the founding team of SoundCloud.

I am an experienced business leader with extensive experience of building trusting relationships and turning these into valuable partnerships and successful outcomes. My passion lies in connecting people, ideas and technology to solve problems and build unforgettable experiences with new technology.

Erika Brodnock is an award-winning entrepreneur, philanthropist, and angel investor. She is also an MBA, a Visiting Research Fellow at King’s College London and a PhD in the Inclusion Initiative at the LSE. She authored Diversity Beyond Gender, and co-authored the TRANSPARENT Framework and Better Venture - Improving Diversity, Innovation, and Profitability in Venture Capital and Startups.

Erika is Sky News’ resident parenting expert; co-founder at Extend Ventures, The Black Funding Network, and Kinhub, providing data-driven coaching and personalised employee support. She is one of 16 Black women in the UK that has raised more than £1m in startup funding. Erika is also a Non-Executive Director of The Good Play Guide; and serves on the advisory board of the APPG for Entrepreneurship.

"Jessie Scoullar is the owner of and chief strategist at Wicksteed Works, a London-based agency empowering artists and brands to maximise their potential through connection, communication and coordination of kick-ass direct-to-fan marketing and retail campaigns. With a focus on email marketing, CRM and ecommerce strategy, Wicksteed Works clients past and present include PJ Harvey, Laura Marling, UNKLE, Mumford & Sons, Paul Kalkbrenner, Elvis Costello, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Bic Runga, Neil Finn, Brooke Fraser, Max Cooper and Paul McCartney, as well as a range of hand-selected creative businesses.

Alongside providing marketing advice to more than 250 Help Musicians grant awardees, Jessie has published several industry guides on membership and fan clubs, as well as the first comprehensive comparison of direct-to-fan music marketing and retail services. She cut her teeth on the world of direct-to-fan in the fast-paced environment of Topspin Media's Creative Services team. Before leaving her native New Zealand in 2007, she worked with CRS Management and practised as a commercial solicitor."

As VP of Global Music Marketing at SoundCloud, Manny Toro leads the music marketing, intelligence, and curation with a focus on driving innovative strategy and campaigns to help artists grow on and off the platform. With over 15 years of global marketing experience at companies such as Nike, Red Bull, and Seeker Music Group, Manny has a successful history of customizing approaches to monetize and elevate the careers of artists.

Leo Lindermans is a digital advertising & marketing expert specialising on the Music & Audio vertical. Leo is currently supporting major record labels and streaming services with their TikTok strategy as Partnerships Lead at TikTok.

Ex-engineer with close to a decade working in the music industry in India, the US and the UK across artist & content management, digital strategy & licensing, and global business development.

Richard is a London born father of two who cares deeply about uplifting underrepresented community groups.

He leverages experience in Ad Tech spanning from over a decade working within numerous global corporations, by advising and investing in Tech startups. A community builder, who founded the Inspirational tech Founders series of events and documentary which provides a platform to showcase the businesses and talents of Black Founders.

Richard is a filmmaker having founded his own film company, Amplery Films - 2023 release Inspirational Founders

He serves as a Trustee on charity boards for Behind Every Kick and DINN, and is an advisor to UKBlacktech and Translate Culture.

"I am an entertainment lawyer at Russells Solicitors where I am a partner and head of the digital department.
My three main areas of focus are: (a) the convergence of technology and entertainment; (b) corporate and company law matters and (c) non-contentious entertainment matters."

I'm a serial British internet entrepreneur about to launch my new company Into-it, a personalised music news service.

"Vanessa has over two decades of experience in the entertainment industry. She graduated with a First-Class Degree in Performing Arts (Management of Music, Entertainment, Theatre and Events) from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) in 2001 before beginning her career at M&C Saatchi in London.

Vanessa then moved to EMAP (now Bauer Media), where she worked with leading music and lifestyle publications, including Q, Mojo, Arena, Kerrang!, Smash Hits, The Face, and Empire Magazine. During her time at EMAP, Vanessa led commercial partnerships with major and indie record labels, film studios, and music retailers.

In 2007, Vanessa joined Google and built out their specialist Entertainment Team, leading global partnerships with film studios, gaming, and record labels. She continued to YouTube in 2008 when Google acquired the platform, leading music, gaming, and movie global partnerships. In 2011, Vanessa joined Facebook Inc. (now Meta) prior to its listing on the Stock Exchange to lead Retail and FMCG sector partnerships, and in 2012, set up the Entertainment Vertical team. Vanessa continues to drive fundamental evolution and change as a global Client Partner in how film and music industries globally market their releases and events across Meta platforms.

Vanessa also leads innovative, award-winning global music and movie partnerships and campaigns in emerging technologies via Augmented Reality, AI, and Virtual Reality.
Vanessa's contributions to the entertainment industry have been widely recognized, including being enrolled in the Music Week Roll of Honour as a 2020 Women in Music award winner. She also sits on the Board of Trustees for The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic since 2018 and on the Liverpool Sound City Board as of 2021. Vanessa founded 'The Wed Network' (Women in Entertainment and Digital), a supportive network of 1.6K women in arts and entertainment sectors. She has been named one of the Alternative Power 100 Music List with She Said So and one of the top 200 women redefining the Creative Industry in the UK for International Women's Day 2018 by The Dots. In 2022, Vanessa was also a 40 over Forty winner. She is set to become a Cannes Lions Jury Member in 2023.

Vanessa's passion for music, film, education, and community shines through in her work. She is a regular guest lecturer, with recent lectures at the University of Central Lancashire, Leeds Conservatoire, Wrexham Glyndŵr University, BIMM, and LIPA. Vanessa also mentors via the PRS Power Up Schemes and KeyChange mentoring in music, continuing to give back to the industry that has given her so much."

Natalie is a digital marketing specialist helping the world’s biggest Entertainment companies innovate and explore the possibilities of AI, AR and VR on Meta platforms, delivering world firsts for entertainment brands in the Metaverse. She has a BSc Business Administration from the University of Bath, and has since lead the Meta partnership with The 93% Club to help bridge the employability gap for state-educated students.

Cliff joined Lewis Silkin LLP as a Partner in April 2006 and specialises in Digital Media, Brand Entertainment, Technology and Innovation as a part of its Creators, Makers & Innovators Division. He is the Joint Head and founder of Media & Entertainment practice at Lewis Silkin LLP and sits on the firm's Board responsible for innovation.

He is named in both Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 as a leader and expert in his field and the Media & Entertainment group is ranked in as 'Tier 1'.

After training at CMS, he became in-house counsel at Warner Music, was seconded to the BPI and then Legal Director and Company Secretary for Capital Radio plc (now Global Radio).

As a partner at Lewis Silkin LLP he now acts for some of the world’s largest names in music, mobile, brands, advertising, production and social.

Cliff is also the founder and Managing Director at Eleven, offering strategic and commercial advisory services - as part of its ecosystem of trusted partners - to companies in the realm of music, digital media, eSports and film with a focus on Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Immersive Entertainment.

He specialises in working with clients in the media whose businesses are being transformed by convergence or whom are embracing content-based entertainment for the first time such as FMCG and lifestyle brand owners, advertising agencies, digital agencies and financial institutions.

He is Chair of the Trustee Board of The Ivors Academy Trust, the charity for songwriters and creators and the Deputy Chair of Help Musicians (pka The Musicians Benevolent Fund).

I’m an experienced product leader for games and social apps, with a focus on revenue, app design and development, A/B testing, and stakeholder management. In an earlier life, I was a software engineer. I have a total of 20+ years of professional experience working in San Francisco, Boston, and London.

Focused on executing at the intersection of emerging technologies, new business opportunities, and legacy regulatory constraints.

I am a consumer technology executive (8 issued patents in the US and China) and licensed attorney (Juris Doctor / D.C. Bar Member) with digital content licensing, multi-media (B.A. Fine Arts), social media, and banking (B.A. Economics & FINRA Series 7 License & UK FSA Register) experience.

Started out as a musician then became a private practice music lawyer representing artists and moved to Sony about 10 years ago. Am now General Counsel responsible for overseeing business and legal affairs strategies and initiatives on behalf of SMP UK and its roster, as well as providing guidance and counsel on its legal and operational matters.

Tandy is a Director on the Strategy & Investments team at Sony Music responsible for venture investing and M&A at the intersection of music, media, and technology. He leads Sony Music’s involvement in the startup ecosystem including with accelerators such as Techstars. Previously, he was an investor at Samsung Next focused on investing in early-stage media tech startups and acquiring transformational companies on behalf of Samsung Electronics. Tandy began his career in investment banking where he provided M&A and financial advisory to companies across a range of industries.

As the VP, Head of Emerging Technology, Chris helps Sony Music artists capitalize on opportunities enabled by new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, web3, and immersive experiences. He leads strategic initiatives, provides thought leadership, and helps the organization prepare for change. He also leads Sony’s involvement in Techstars Music, a startup accelerator.

Chris has a history of innovation at Sony Music. He helped initiate the podcasting business through partnerships and product development, guided strategy and product for data and analytics, and led operations and metadata initiatives. He also managed digital sales at RED and launched early digital products including ringtones, mobile apps, and artist fan clubs.

He holds an MA in Music Business from New York University and a BBA in International Business from the University of Georgia.

I am a 31 year old London based graduate. I have grade 8 percussion and grade 7 piano, A*AA at A-level (economics, politics & music respectively), a 2:1 BA in Music from the University of Bristol, CORe: Credential of Readiness from HBX | Harvard Business School, a years’ experience in financial services and investment (at M&G Investments), and over eight years experience in the music industry at Media Insight Consulting, Commercial Affairs at Universal Music Group and most recently as Vice President, UK A&R Strategy and International Research at Sony Music Publishing.

I am interested in commercial music development from both an artist and industry perspective. I love start-up culture and am an active small investor and enjoy watching Brighton FC.

"Sonia, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD), joined Sony Music Publishing as VP People Experience, UK and International Sony Music Publishing two years ago.

Sonia draws on over 15 years experience in strategic HR leadership roles prior to Sony. Her work has helped to achieve lasting change in organisational development, employee relations and engagement, as well as organisational transformation – including M&A, launching new operating models, cultural change and HR systems. She has extensive experience working for multinational companies, such as Generali Worldwide and Credit Suisse, and has led global HR projects with a primary focus on leadership development and performance excellence programmes. 

Sonia is focused on SMP’s strategic priority to transform its approach to people and culture, working with SMP Leadership teams to create initiatives that build a culture of diverse and high-performing teams across territories, aiming to close the gap between good intentions and desired outcomes."

Aaron leads AWAL's Audience Development Teams based in London and Los Angeles. The Audience Development team specialises in identifying, targeting and engaging artist audiences around the world, alongside developing and executing digital-focused strategies and fan-focused marketing initiatives. Aaron has been working in digital music marketing for over 17 years at both major and independent labels. Prior to joining AWAL, Bogucki held roles as VP, Digital at Republic Records in NYC and Head of Digital at Polydor in London.

Liz is VP of People Experience (PX) and has held that position since October 2017. In her current role Liz leads on overall PX strategy, including employee engagement, leadership development, wellbeing, reward, analytics and diversity and inclusion.
Liz has been fundamental in creating a culture that puts employees at the heart of the business and has brought in key initiatives including childcare costs support, additional leave for parents of premature babies, equalised parental leave, the UK’s first master’s in music therapy bursary with Nordoff Robins as well as the award winning Positive Influence programme that matches young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds with mentors in the creative industries.

Experienced entertainment industry professional, specialised in digital and consumer-centric strategies. I love identifying and solving problems, working collaboratively across functions and exercising my leadership, creative and analytical skills. Born in France, now based in London.

Andre Carroll leads the brand partnerships team for the Sony Music UK business as part of the wider 4th Floor Creative group.

The team focuses on connecting artists and brands to build campaigns that deliver cultural moments and build artist profile, amplifying audience development through a host of strategic partnerships such as video product placement, co-branded content/events, above the line campaigns, music strategy, digital partnerships and much more.

Over the last 10 years I've worked in all areas of digital marketing. Beginning a career in social media, I then moved into a major label where I'm currently Head Of Digital for Columbia Records. From Calvin Harris to Koffee to Liam Gallagher and Disclosure - I've been lucky enough to be involved in innovative, award winning campaigns.

"Antony Bebawi is President, Global Digital at Sony Music Publishing and is based in London. He started his career in music publishing at EMI Music Publishing in September 2005 which he joined to head up the UK legal and business affairs team having previously been a partner at leading London media and entertainment law firm, Harbottle and Lewis LLP. During his time at EMI, he was responsible for implementing a restructuring of EMI Music Publishing's digital rights to help launch the first successful publisher-led, Pan-European digital licensing initiative outside of the traditional collection society network. The model became and remains the industry solution for licensing digital music services in Europe. Antony was European General Counsel when EMI Music Publishing was acquired in 2007 by Sony Music Publishing which he joined as EVP, Digital and Society Relations, International and UK to continue his focus on the rapidly developing digital market. He was promoted to his current role in 2020 and he now leads Sony Music Publishing’s dedicated digital licensing team based in the US and the UK as well as working closely with Sony Music Publishing’s national and regional business units to help develop local and regional digital licensing solutions.
Antony is a member of the Members’ Council and Board of the UK performing rights organisation, PRS for Music."

I am a lawyer working within Sony Music Entertainment's Global Digital Business division, focusing on negotiating and papering deals with worldwide, regional and local digital service providers.

Christine Osazuwa booked her first show at 15 and spent most of her adolescence deeply entrenched in the music industry from running street teams to making a music documentary. She went on to receive an undergraduate degree in Music Business, followed by an MBA in Marketing and a master’s in data science. She combined all her passions into roles consulting and working with various music startups, venues, festivals, radio stations and labels bridging the gap between music, tech & business.Originally from Baltimore, Christine spent 2 years in Stockholm as Head of Data & Insights for Universal Music Sweden before calling London home while working as the Global Marketing Director for Data & Insights at Warner Music Group where she helped to develop WMG's global priorities. Upon leaving WMG, Christine joined as Strategy Director at Pollen, curating one-of-a-kind fan & artist-centric live music & travel experiences. She was also the UK Director of shesaid.so, which serves the global community of women, gender minorities, and allies in the music industry. Currently, Christine is the Chief Strategy Officer of Shoobs where she is instrumental in helping develop the company's marketing & brand partnerships strategy while supporting organizers in executing experiential activations.She’s also the founder of Measure of Music–part conference, part hackathon–to introduce others to the world of music & data while highlighting majority minority attendees and speakers.

Isha is Director of Total Rewards at SoundCloud, overseeing Compensation, Benefits, L&D and People Analytics globally. She has 9+ years of experience gained within higher education, Private Healthcare and professional services, across Rewards, Benefits and Performance Management. Isha is the Executive Sponsor SoundCloud's Clouds of Colour diversity resource group. She has a keen interest in DEI, driven by previous experience at BLD Foundation which focused on the advancement of youth from ethnic minorities and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds within the legal sector.Isha is a graduate of Durham University where she gained postgraduate qualification in human resource management, and Pune University where she completed her undergraduate qualification in accounting and economics.

Charlie Ogbechie is a Senior Artist Relations Manager at SoundCloud. With a decade of experience in live, distribution and artist development working for companies such as Live Nation and Warner Music Group. Charlie is responsible for building and maintaining SoundCloud’s relationships with artists, managers, producers and agents in UK & Europe as well as educating the creator community on how to best utilize SoundCloud, to build and grow their careers.

Creative and hard working individual with a huge passion for making the music industry a more artist friendly place. Joining SoundCloud as A&R manager after working as a freelance artist manager for many years, helping artists to launch a successful career.

Makesha leads Sony Music UK Label Analytics as part of the Digital & Audience Development team. Makesha specialises in leveraging global streaming, social and new tech data to develop digital strategy and audience engagement initiatives. Makesha has been working in digital music analytics for over a decade. Prior to joining Sony Music, Makesha held roles in Commercial Affairs at Universal Music Group and Investment Banking Division at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

I am an experienced marketing professional with over 10 years of experience in the music industry. Currently serving as the Co-Head of Marketing at RCA Records UK, where I work closely with my partner to lead a talented team of marketing professionals to develop and execute successful campaigns for a diverse range of artists.

My previous experience at Columbia UK & Polydor where I specialised in digital marketing and led successful, multi-channel campaigns for many successful artists has given me a strong understanding of digital platforms, technologies and how to use them to reach and engage audiences.

Skilled in strategic planning, project management, analytical thinking and creative problem-solving, my analytical skills and data-driven approach inform strategic decisions and drive growth.

7+ years of recruitment and hiring experience. My role involved partnering with The Orchard, leading and driving their recruitment across the UK, Continental Europe and most recently West Africa. I love music and in my spare time, I write and produce.

The Innovation Hub helps innovators across all sectors build privacy by design into their new products (pre market launch) by providing expert data protection advice and mentoring organisations. I specialise in working with innovators using new technologies and processing personal data in new and novel ways.

Seasoned media & entertainment professional with track record in working with creative talent and delivering significant incremental revenue through successful partnerships at the intersection of content monetization, marketing and technology, in international and fast-changing environments.