PPL appoints Kate Reilly to the role of Chief Membership & People Officer

Formerly Chief People Officer, Reilly will still lead PPL’s HR and Facilities teams in her new role whilst also now leading PPL’s Membership team.  As such, she will oversee the continued delivery of a quality service to PPL’s recording rightsholder and performer members – whether they are joining PPL for the first time, signing up for additional services including its world-leading collection of international neighbouring rights revenue, or contacting the company with queries or for support with managing their membership.

This expansion of her role builds on Reilly’s existing relationships within the music industry, including her close work with UK Music and PPL’s fellow UK Music members as one of the first people to join the UK Music Diversity Taskforce, and PPL’s ongoing provision of cost-effective, high level HR expertise and support to the likes of the Musicians’ Union, the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) and The Royal Society of Musicians.

Reilly remains deeply engaged in this important, industry-facing HR work, helping to take forward the work of the Diversity Taskforce and also the UK Music Skills Board (of which she has been a member since 2011).  Alongside this, she retains responsibility for delivering PPL’s own People Strategy.  Reilly has been instrumental in developing this strategy since joining PPL in 2011, becoming Head of HR the following year before taking up the newly created role of Director of People and Organisational Development in 2014 then being appointed Chief People Officer in 2021. Reilly’s vision for an inclusive workplace has led to a strong equity, diversity and inclusion strategy, spanning recruitment, training and development, and career progression opportunities. Reilly also played a key part in helping to launch PPL PRS Ltd, PPL’s joint venture with PRS for Music. In 2019, alongside her senior role at PPL, she led the creation and implementation of PPL PRS Ltd’s new people strategy, as well as supporting on all operational activity in a part-time secondment to PPL PRS Ltd. Reilly will continue to report into PPL’s Chief Executive Officer, Peter Leathem.

PPL represents more than 130,000 performers and recording rightsholders. On their behalf, PPL licenses recorded music in the UK when it is played in public (shops, bars, nightclubs, offices etc.) or broadcast (BBC, commercial radio, commercial TV etc.) and ensures that revenue flows back to them. PPL also offers a world-leading international collections service, helping members to maximise their royalties on a global scale.

Commenting on the appointment, Chief Executive Officer Peter Leathem said:

“I have worked closely with Kate for the last ten years and have watched her develop and emerge as a very effective, fair and impactful senior leader. Kate is an asset not just to myself and PPL but the wider music industry – respected for her achievements, admired for her humility and much loved by her colleagues. Kate’s business acumen, industry knowledge, and contact base makes her ideally suited to further develop her role at PPL and to lead the evolution of PPL’s service to its membership. I very much look forward to working with Kate in her new role.”

Chief Membership & People Officer Kate Reilly added:

“I am delighted to take up this new position within PPL at what is a very exciting time for the company. I look forward to continuing my work with the HR and Facilities teams and now leading the Member Services team, maintaining and further developing the strong relationships we have with our members as well as working closely with teams across PPL that help the company deliver such a strong service to members.”