Michael Ugwu, the Founder and CEO of Freeme Digital & Freeme Music, has been appointed to the Merlin Network 2022 Board of Directors for a second term.
Michael Ugwu is one of 11 board members who are returning for another term, after being elected as a member in 2020, and this will be his second term on the board representing Africa.
Merlin is a Europe-based digital-rights licensing partner for independent music companies with over 20,000 independent record labels and distributors from 62 countries. The company announced its 2022 board of directors via Variety.
The vote to elect the board is made by Merlin’s members which is a combination of representatives from twelve different countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania.
Pascal Bittard, owner of Idol (France), Tom Deakin, head of EMEA, AudioSalad (UK), Sandra Ortega, director of global partnerships, Altafonte (Mexico), Louis Posen, president & executive director, Hopeless Records (US), Jason Taylor, sales and label strategy director, Redeye (US), and Yushi Yamashita, president, RightsScale (Japan) are the newly elected members of the board.
While the returning members of the board are Michael Ugwu, CEO, Freeme Digital (Nigeria); Marie Clausen, head of NA and global streaming, Ninja Tune (US); Michel Lambot, co-founder, [PIAS] (Belgium); Chris Maund, COO, Mushroom Labels (Australia); Carlos Mills, founder & CEO, Mills Records (Brazil); Martin Mills; founder & chairman, Beggars Group (UK); Darius Van Arman, co-CEO of Secretly Group (US); Pieter van Rijn, CEO, FUGA (Netherlands); Horst Weidenmüller, CEO & Owner, !K7 (Germany); and Justin West, president & CEO, Secret City (Canada).