Music recording company BMG has appointed Johannes von Schwarzkopf as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development.
Von Schwarzkopf will lead a team dedicated to identifying and cultivating new business opportunities, overseeing company-wide initiatives to enhance growth, and facilitating collaborative efforts within BMG to establish new capabilities and partnerships, including GenAI initiatives, the company said Friday (January 19).
He joined the company in early 2021 and has since held various positions in finance and corporate development, contributing to the formulation and execution of the company’s strategy known as ‘BMG Next.’ He was promoted to lead the newly developed Corporate Development department in 2023.
Prior to joining BMG, von Schwarzkopf worked for consulting firm EY in an M&A Transaction Advisory capacity and as a media sales representative for advertising technology company Taboola.
“In the past year we have made significant progress in implementing BMG’s Next strategy which sets us up for continued growth. BMG is well positioned to be an innovation leader in the industry and I am honored to take part in leading the way.”
Johannes von Schwarzkopf, BMG
“I am looking forward to this exciting new challenge at BMG. In the past year we have made significant progress in implementing BMG’s Next strategy which sets us up for continued growth. BMG is well positioned to be an innovation leader in the industry and I am honored to take part in leading the way,” von Schwarzkopf said.
In his new role as SVP for Corporate Development, von Schwarzkopf will report directly to BMG CEO Thomas Coesfeld.
“Johannes has a proven track record of analytical rigor and thought leadership, and has played a pivotal role in developing and implementing our new strategy over the past year. His entrepreneurial mindset and commitment to the team make him a great leader. I congratulate Johannes on this promotion which underpins our commitment to unleashing BMG’s next growth phase,” said Coesfeld.
“Johannes has a proven track record of analytical rigor and thought leadership, and has played a pivotal role in developing and implementing our new strategy over the past year.”
Thomas Coesfeld, BMG
Von Schwarzkopf’s appointment comes about three months after BMG confirmed to staff that the company is reorganizing its global structure to achieve Coesfeld’s goal of making BMG “more efficient and more effective.”
As part of the change, BMG discontinued its Modern Recordings label based in Berlin, closed its New York-based theatrical productions initiative, and halted active commissioning of new films. It also consolidated its New York and Canada-based recorded music operations into its Los Angeles office.
That change also resulted in the layoff of around 40 employees including Fred Casimir, the company’s EVP Global Repertoire, who led the centralized international marketing department for recordings, which has been discontinued.
Elsewhere at BMG, the company acquired the recorded music catalog of French pop singer and composer, Alain Chamfort and last month it increased its stake in the music catalog of Nena, the German band behind the iconic hit 99 Luftballoons.
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