Speakers
MYN JAZEEL - Keynote Speaker at LMC Music industry veteran and DEI advocate Former Senior Vice President at Warner Music, and now Co-Chair of the MOBOs, Chair of Music Against Racism, and Artist Manager. Myn has 35 years’ experience in the music industry, from running independent and major labels, through streaming and music retail, to Artist Management. Myn is a passionate advocate for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and always drives positive change in the music sector. Myn has a strong focus on people and their development, and a passion for Culture, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion within the music industry and beyond.
ZDOT - West London based Producer / DJ 'ZDOT' is a name which has been ringing bells since 2010 when it comes to UK music production. Having amassed over 2 Billion streams across his productions and playing an integral part within the UK Music scene over the last 15 years, he's aligned with some of the biggest artists and produced many of their biggest records. Z has worked with Stormzy, Cardi B, Bugzy Malone, Charli XCX, Professor Green, Rita Ora, Ren, Natasha Bedingfield + many more. Z also composed the music for Playstation's #1 Hit VR game 'Blood & Truth' with an 80 piece orchestra. Zdot has had his music included in multiple FIFA games and Watch Dogs: Legion, and also composed the lead song from Guy Ritchie’s 'The Gentlemen' movie along with an array of syncs with global brands. When he's not in the studio he's performing lively DJ sets, Having already performed at a range of festivals including: Boomtown, Bestival, All Points East, Boardmasters & more
SHABZ NAQVI - a visionary in the British music industry, is renowned for his boundless creativity and trailblazing approach to crafting captivating beats. Shabz' musical journey commenced at the young age of 16, when he first discovered his passion for producing music on his elder brother's cherished equipment. Fueled by an insatiable love for music production, he joined forces with childhood friends, forming the influential music crew known as "So Solid Crew". Together, they achieved unparalleled success, dominating the charts as the number one selling artists in the country and amassing an impressive collection of 11 major music awards. Born and raised in the culturally diverse backdrop of South London, Shabz' musical ingenuity artfully fuses his cultural roots with contemporary influences, giving birth t o a sound that transcends boundaries and captivates audiences across the globe. His creations embody the vibrant energy and eclectic spirit of the city, resonating with listeners on a profound level. Driven by a steadfast commitment t o celebrate his heritage and embrace diverse musical influences, Shabz Naqvi founded DESI TRILL t o celebrate the fusion of traditional South Asian elements with modern genres. The platform propels emerging talents, championing a unique global sound that epitomizes the rich diversity of South Asian music.
DR YASIN EL ASHRAFI BEM is a multi award winning mentor and entrepreneur from Leicester. He is the founder & owner of HQ Recording Studio, HQ Familia record label and Director of HQ CAN (Community Arts Network) CIC. Yasin currently manages 8 artists who are being developed by himself / HQ Familia
KATE ROUNDING is the Executive Director of TiME (Technology in Music Education) and a freelance music technology journalist for Music Teacher magazine. She works alongside HQ to deliver the Leicester Music Conference. This year TiME has supported the development of the new Creative Industries Expo element of LMC. With 25 years of experience in music, education, and inclusion leadership, Kate is passionate about using music technology to expand access to music- making for young people. Her background as a professional musician, studio engineer, and music lecturer, combined with extensive work in inclusive music informs her leadership of a diverse range of music and arts education projects.
SANIA HAQ (Founder, Bye 2 Stereotypes). Sania has over a decade of hands-on experience working within the South Asian music industry through BollyCo, a dance and entertainment company she helps manage. This is coupled with 12+ years within research, seven of which she spent leading on AudienceNet’s music and entertainment-related work, working closely with clients such as the IPO, IFPI, Sony, UMG, Warner, Spotify, Soundcloud, YouTube, the BPI and ERA, among others. Along with leading on research that is at the heart of industry decision-making (e.g. the UK Music’s Music Creator Study and the IFPI’s Global Music Consumer Study), Sania has always been known for advocating for a greater understanding of music and listeners from different cultures. Sania is now bringing together her hands-on experience within music with her research and data expertise. More specifically, using her platform to shine a spotlight on diverse artists and audiences. Last year Sania was nominated for a Women in Music Award for her dedication to increasing South Asian representation in the industry. More broadly, Sania is also an award-winning Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) practitioner and Cultural Consultant. In 2023, Sania set up Bye 2 Stereotypes, a brand through which she provides research, training and strategic support to organisations wanting to engage diverse audiences or address inequalities within society and the workplace.
MANDY MANN is Assistant Commissioner across Music and Events at BBC Asian Network, shaping music strategy and championing British Asian talent. She leads Asian Network Certified, curates major DJ takeovers, and has built partnerships with Myrchfest, Breaking Borders and SXSW. She contributes to the wider industry as a voting member for Radio 1's The Sound Of and the BRIT Awards.
DEAN JACKSON is a key driver in discovering and supporting new music across the area. He works with the national BBC Introducing team to give that music a wider platform on Radio 1, 1Xtra and 6Music and at many festivals including Glastonbury. Dean's radio show The Beat has given very early exposure to many national and international artists such as The Killers, Coldplay, Tom Grennan, and dozens more. Dean has also served as a judge on the prestigious Mercury Music Prize Panel and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate for his services to the loacl music scene.
DR OLIVER MORRIS. Oliver has been with UK Music since 2015. Before this he was a tutor, researcher, community worker, musician and composer. His PhD thesis explored ‘The Educational and Economic Aspirations of Young People in Wales’. He sits on the steering group for Make Music Day UK and advisory board for Music: Local. He has worked in a broad range of educational settings, formal and informal, with a variety of learners since 2001 encompassing: widening access to HE programmes; undergraduate tutoring; community education; schools, and; youth work with a creative focus (as musician, composer, deviser, and performer).
BINA 'BOB' MISTRY is the founder of music:defined and Director of Content Licensing and Music at SoundCloud. A lawyer, music industry master, and advocate for creators, Bob brings over 20 years of experience from PRS for Music, Warner Chappell, Apple Music, and Peloton. With deep expertise in publishing, royalties, and streaming, she’s here to help you navigate the business side of music and maximize your earnings.
FRANCESCA SMITH - AKA False Relation is a classically trained pianist turned Drum & Bass selector, producer and educator, blending deep musicality with underground energy. With a background in composition and an MSc in Music Technology, she brings musicality and flow with dancefloor intensity to her sets and production. She also runs her own event brand, Contrary Motion, and has a range of experience across clubs, radio, and education.
SUMMAYA MUGHAL is a multi-award winning BBC Radio/TV Presenter, Actor-Musician and TEDx speaker passionate about supporting upcoming talent. She has championed musicians through BBC Music Introducing and her own event, 'Summaya's Sessions', over her broadcasting career both locally and nationally. She trained at Nottingham’s BAFTA Award-winning Television Workshop where she honed her passion for performance and is also founder of ‘Brown Gal Can’t Swim’, a multi-award winning podcast which follows her journey of learning to swim as an adult whilst investigating why many South Asian women like her also cannot or do not swim. The podcast won “Podcast of the Year” at the British Sports Journalism Awards, a “Nottingham Award” for contribution to community, the Asian Media Award for “Best Podcast” and (most importantly) has inspired other adults to learn to swim. Her proudest broadcasting moments include presenting the Radio 1 Breakfast show, reporting on the 2024 Paris Olympic Games... and regularly spinning bangers on the BBC
PHIL NELSON has been an Artist Manager since 1988 managing first The Levellers who achieved 1 Platinum, 5 Gold records with Phil. During Phil’s tenure the band headlined the Glastonbury Festival before starting their own 20,000 capacity Festival Beautiful Days Festival. He went on to manage The Longpigs (1 Gold record and Brit Award Nomination), and current clients include Grammy and Ivor Novello winning Matt Hales / Aqualung / (1 Gold record), Duke Special (1 Platinum record), and Sweet Billy Pilgrim (1 Mercury music prize Nomination.) Phil was the Vice Chair of the Music Managers’ Forum from 1997-2007. He co-founded The Great Escape Festival and now runs Pathways Into Music and the MIME (Music Industry + Music Education) conference with Chris Cooke of CMU. Pathways is a not-for-profit organisation launched to support music educators and music talent development programmes around the UK and beyond, and to help early-career music- makers plan their personal pathways into music. Phil is Principal Lecturer for the MA in Popular Music Practice at BIMM University, London. Phil is a lapsed bassoonist.
SIMON LYON is an Ableton specialist and certified trainer with over 20 years of experience working with artists and tech crews, including Dua Lipa, Jon Hopkins, Rudimental and Chemical Brothers, helping them to integrate Ableton Live into their music production and live performances. As a professional producer, Simon has collaborated with bands and artists, including his work on RHYTHMIKON with Inspiral Carpets bassist Martyn Walsh, and created music for major media campaigns with clients ranging from Converse to Asda/Children in Need. In addition to his production work, Simon is a music technology education consultant working with educational institutions to enhance their use of music technology.
LLOYD LUTHER is a self-produced, self-released independent rap artist and producer from Leicester City. Known for his lyrical ability and hypnotic production, Lloyd’s track Drugs on Tap made waves after being featured in Netflix’s Top Boy and various other shows and adverts. His journey proves that independence can lead to major success, come learn how to do it yourself.
GEMMA FOX. When it comes to UK dance music, Gemma Fox is a true pioneer. Known as The Original Bassline Queen, she has shaped the Bassline and Grime scenes for over two decades with her unmistakable voice and trailblazing artistry. As one of the first female vocalists in these genres, her music has become an integral part of the UK’s musical legacy, earning widespread acclaim and influence. From her breakthrough hit So Messy, the first track ever aired on BBC 1Xtra, to collaborations with icons like MC Lyte, Juelz Santana, and Rodney P, Gemma’s career has been filled with milestones. Her single Girlfriend’s Storytackled powerful themes, earning major playlist placements and a MOBO nomination. She has dominated the club scene with tracks like Might Be, Boxers, and the recent Boxers 25 with Cru2’s Denon Reed. With three BRIT certified silver plaques and one gold plaque, plus recent chart topping releases like Operator and Veins, Gemma continues to push boundaries. She is also a DJ, producer, and mentor, using her platform to support emerging UK talent through Young Creative Careers.
CLAIRE CORDEAUX is Chief Executive of the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM), a unique national medical charity which looks after the health of performers across the UK. With over 300 clinicians in the UK, BAPAM looks after over 3000 performance professionals each year, providing free clinical assessments health and wellbeing education, training and resources about best practice in performing arts medicine and provides clinical advice to organisations on how to provide health services to their workforce. Claire has a professional background in the UK NHS and before BAPAM, was global Director of an independent healthcare company. She is an active musician in a psychedelic celtic folk fusion band, and has supported a number of arts initiatives and festivals.
CHRIS COOKE is an editor, journalist and media entrepreneur. He is co-Founder and MD of CMU, a company that helps people navigate and understand the music business. It does this through media like the CMU Daily bulletin and Setlist podcast; a consultancy unit and training business; and a future talent programme. Via CMU, Chris writes, talks, teaches and consults about the music industry. He leads sessions at music conferences around the world and guest lectures at various music colleges. He delivers training for MMF and BPI, and consults for the Council Of Music Makers. He also curated and hosted twelve editions of The Great Escape Conference; wrote the acclaimed book ‘Dissecting The Digital Dollar’; and compiled ‘Music Copyright Explained’ for the UK’s Intellectual Property Office. Since 2017, Chris has been working with artist manager Phil Nelson to map music careers, music industries and music education.
CHRIS COOK is Education Manager at British microphone manufacturer Sontronics. A graduate of Brunel University and the Abbey Road Institute, he began his career as a music technician in a secondary school before progressing to roles at Abbey Road Studios and later joining Sontronics. In his current position, Chris works with studios, colleges and schools across the UK, supporting educators, engineers and students to develop their recording practice and make effective use of audio equipment and music technology.
GARY REID (Head of Partnerships & Programs, FAC). Gary Reid joined the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) in June 2023. The FAC is the UK trade body representing the rights and interests of a diverse, global membership of music artists at all stages of their careers. The FAC’s CEO also sits as a Director at umbrella trade bodies UK Music and LIVE, and at the International Artists Organisation, as well as the UK’s Council of Music Makers and Independent Venue Week. Gary has more than twenty years of experience in the music industry and currently runs the FAC’s Step Up Fund powered by Amazon music.
DENISE AMORY-REID is founder of AmoryR Management, an artist development company, and co-creator of The Fam’Ly Experience, a YouTube platform featuring DJs, visual artists, and independent musicians within a community-led performance space. Backed by Birmingham City University and having licensed archive footage to the BBC documentary 'First Ladies of Hip Hop', Denise works across artist management, immersive content creation, and stewardship of Birmingham’s Black music archive. She serves on the European Music Managers Alliance Hip-Hop Steering Group and EDI Task Force
RUPINDER VIRDEE. With over 25 years of experience in communication and marketing strategy, Rupinder has built an influential career spanning major record labels, independent labels, and talent management. She has led impactful brand-building campaigns, shaped artist profiles, and developed strategic communications that drive both cultural and commercial success. Currently she works at the intersection of brand strategy, storytelling, and talent development, helping artists and organisations define their voice and grow their audience. She previously served as Head of Communications at PRS for Music, where she led strategic messaging and industry engagement for three years. Rupinder currently sits on the advisory committee for The BRIT School and is a passionate advocate for South Asian music creatives, championing representation and long-term infrastructure for diverse talent. Most recently, she worked on a Top 20 charting single with an independent artist, demonstrating her continued impact across both emerging and established spaces in the industry.
JÉVIS LAWSON began his music industry career in 2019 while undertaking an MA in Music Business Management at the University of Westminster. He has worked at The Ivors Academy since 2022, contributing across membership, events and programmes, and now serves as their Relations and Outreach Manager, where he oversees the organisation’s partnerships, education and outreach initiatives. Outside of his role with The Academy, Jévis is also passionate about creator development. He works closely with songwriters, artists and producers through management and consultancy, supporting emerging talent in navigating the business of music, building sustainable careers, and realising their creative and commercial potential
BERTINA LUZÁ is the Black Music Genre Specialist at music licensing company PPL. In her role, she provides tailored relationship management for a roster of high-profile Black music performers and recording rightsholders. She proactively seeks out new recruitment opportunities, working with both national and international Black music performers to ensure they are getting paid for their music when it is broadcast or played publicly.
HAILEY WILLINGTON (she/her) is Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at the BPI where she sits on both the UK Music Diversity Taskforce and Creative UK Diversity Members Forum. Hailey is author of the BPI’s Five-year DEI strategy which won the 2025 Trade Association Forum Diversity & Inclusion Award.
ZARA KANEVA is the head of Product & Distribution for TikTok (SoundOn) in the EMEA market. Since joining in 2022, she has played a pivotal role in launching and scaling SoundOn’s presence across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East - developing and integrating innovative tools that empower artists and labels to thrive in the digital music ecosystem. With a strong background in music technology, Zara spent several years working closely with various music and tech companies and their development teams, forging strategic partnerships and driving product innovation at the intersection of music and technology. Her expertise lies in building scalable, artist-centric solutions and creating monetisation strategies that support TikTok and SoundOn's global music vision.
ISAAC SAMUEL HYMAN is a Label Services manager at TikTok (SoundOn) in the EMEA region. Joining in 2025, he manages key relationships with a varied roster of distributed label partners, providing strategic and operational support on new release campaigns and helping to drive discovery of their catalogue. SoundOn is an all-in-one platform powered by TikTok, designed to better service music creators through each step of their career — from TikTok integrated promotion tools to global music distribution and diverse monetization opportunities, empowering music creators & labels to authentically connect with new audiences. Previously, Isaac was Head of Artist & Label Relations at audiovisual music platform COLORSxSTUDIOS where he spent more than seven years championing emerging talent developing the company's original recordings business and leading strategic partnerships with artists, songwriters, producers, labels, DSPs and brands.
NINA RADOJEWSKI is the Professional Development Lead at AIM, the Association of Independent Music, an organisation exclusively representing the UK’s independent music sector, which makes up around a quarter of the recorded music market. Within her role, Nina looks after the AIM Academy, an initiative providing training to AIM Members as well as other interested music industry professionals. In 2020 the AIM Academy launched a series of webinars providing remote training to the AIM membership during the Covid-19 crisis. It has since delivered over 50 webinars to more than 5800 attendees. Nina is the Acting Chair of UK Music’s Education and Skills Committee and has been very active showing students routes into the music industry via the Music Academic Partnership Programme.
ANNETTE LEE is the Global Head of PR & Communications at London-based independent record label, 4AD . A child of Hong Kong immigrants, she has nearly two decades experience overseeing campaigns for the likes of Big Thief, The National, Dry Cleaning, Scott Walker, St. Vincent, David Byrne, Deerhunter, Holly Herndon, and more.
ROSS HAMPL is the Head of Streaming at Partisan Records with 13 years experience in the industry. He started his career at UMG where he worked for Virgin Music Group for 9 years, covering a mix of product management, digital strategy & commercial. After moving to Partisan Records, Ross has headed up the streaming department in the UK for the past 3 years working with artists such as IDLES, Fontaines D.C, Ezra Collective & Geese.
MATTHEW JONES is the Head of Catalogue at Warp Records, the groundbreaking British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989. As well as producing reissues, boxsets and anniversary editions for Warp, he also oversees the partner labels division of the company, where they work with labels such as 10k (MIKE), On-U Sound (Adrian Sherwood), All Saints Records (Brian Eno) and Duophonic UHF Disks (Stereolab).
SARAH BARTON-WALES - As Head of Leicestershire Music, Sarah leads on the delivery of The National Plan for Music Education and the strategic oversight of music education across Leicester and Leicestershire. Sarah has spent many years building meaningful partnerships to enable equity of access to music education. She is really pleased to be part of the Leicester Music Board, helping to lead the way in bridging the gap between education and industry, and supporting progression into and through a career in music. Having researched progression, she is passionate about the levels of support that a young person needs around them to find their path, both whilst in education and beyond.
JEORDIE SHENTON is the Programmes Lead at Tonic Music, a registered charity establishing good mental health within music communities, by providing tailored mental health support to the music industry and music fans. Over the past five years, Tonic Music has facilitated the Tonic Rider programme of online therapy sessions, peer groups, skills workshops and training courses exclusively for music artists, crew and other personnel working in music – including the Futures and Agents x Managers projects. Alongside this, Jeordie is a PhD Researcher of ‘Substance Use Amongst Working Musicians’, having previously contributed to publications on mental health in music, including journal articles and book chapters.
RUTH MCPHERSON - Ruth is Head of Charities & Services for the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM), the UK’s professional body for musicians. Her focus is on supporting all those working within the music sector with professional development and tailored services to ensure they can have a sustainable and healthy career in music.