Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has promoted Maree Hamblion to executive vice president, A&R and creative, for Australia and New Zealand. She will lead the publisher’s creative and talent-development strategy across the region from Sydney.
David Gray, UMPG managing director for the U.K. and head of global A&R, to whom Hamblion reports, announced the move on Monday, October 19. The publisher did not disclose the terms of the deal.
Expanded remit and local facilities
Hamblion’s remit includes local facilities. UMPG will add a dedicated writing room and content space alongside its existing LVL 4 recording studio.
Background
Hamblion joined UMPG’s Australia and New Zealand office in 2024 as senior vice president, A&R. Her signings there include Benny Morrell, Matthew Ifield, Esha Tewari, Rupert Bullard, Ownlife and Lach Bostock. She has also set up joint ventures with Peach Publishing, THIS IS NOISE, Apple Street Music and Artist Labs.
Before joining UMPG, she spent more than a decade at Sony/ATV, later Sony Music Publishing, where she was promoted to senior vice president, international A&R in 2021. She began her career at EMI Music Publishing’s Sydney office in 1995 and spent more than 17 years there.
Hamblion recently signed Tones and I, the ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter-producer. Gray said: “Australia and New Zealand have always produced extraordinary music and some of the world’s most distinctive songwriters and artists.”
Source: Billboard
