Gee Davy has been appointed to the new role of Chief Policy Officer at the UK’s Association Of Independent Music, and will also take on duties as interim CEO as Silvia Montello exits the indie label trade body after just over a year in the role. This morning AIM has indicated to CMU that there is no current plan to recruit a new CEO.
Responding to a question from CMU about when AIM would be announcing the recruitment process to replace Montello, an AIM spokesperson said, “The board is fully behind Gee and the senior management team at this time, with no current plans to recruit for a new CEO. This will be reviewed in due course”.
Davy joined AIM in 2017, and has led on the trade body’s policy work for some time, having developed a solid grounding in the legal and business affairs side of the industry in her previous roles in the independent music sector, as well as having a firm grasp of the opportunities and challenges offered by technology and innovation, drawing on her background as an electronics engineer.
That the trade body is not actively seeking a new CEO marks an interesting shift, indicating that the organisation may see greater value in leadership based in policy and strategy, rather than a more traditional CEO leadership role.
While AIM plays a key role in supporting and championing its members, the lobbying and policy work the organisation conducts is arguably more important than ever. With current issues around major label dominance, streaming, AI, transparency, distribution and various government inquiries, it makes a lot of sense for the organisation to be led by someone who is not only exceptionally well informed in these areas, but also has widespread - and long term - support and visibility within the independent music community.
While Montello’s next move has not been confirmed, she’s held a number of roles across the industry and should not be short of offers.
Before she was appointed as CEO of AIM in December 2022, Montello was briefly CEO of the Association For Electronic Music, joining the organisation in April 2022 after a year as Head Of Operations at Audio Network, and prior to that spent eleven months as Head Of Business Development for music licensing and reporting platform Blokur, which was recently acquired by Music Reports. She has also had stints at Kobalt and BMG, as well as nearly eleven years at Universal Music Group.
In a statement this morning, AIM Chair Ruth Barlow said, “It’s unfortunate that we are losing Silvia so soon into her tenure, but on behalf of the board I wish her well in her next endeavours. I’m very pleased that Gee Davy has agreed to step up into a newly expanded role as AIM’s Chief Policy Officer and Interim CEO. The board and I are working closely with Gee and the AIM team as we continue to support and promote the independent music sector, delivering and creating value for our community via our membership events and activities schedule, industry affairs work and beyond”.
Davy herself added, “I am honoured that the board have asked me to take on the position of Interim CEO, as well as creating a new Chief Policy Officer role to reflect my contribution to AIM’s growth in that arena. With the trust of the inspirational team and board, and our excellent senior management at my side, I am looking forward to delivering on AIM's commitment to support the UK's innovative independent music community and level the music playing field”.