BROOKLYN/LONDON (CelebrityAccess) – The Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) has named Partisan Records’ Chief Operating Officer (COO) Zena White as its new chair, along with having appointed the remainder of the Board of Directors for 2023.
Musicweek reports that White will work closely with WIN Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Noemí Planas on the organization’s goal of growing and connecting the indie music sector worldwide. Planas has been newly appointed as CEO after serving as General Manager (GM).
White joined Partisan in 2017 and has since achieved success with artists such as Fontaines DC, Cigarettes After Sex, and Idles. She is also the recipient of Music Week’s International Woman of the Year award in 2019 and served on The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) board, with some time as chair between 2019 and 2022.
The other new directors elected to the Board are Gee Davy (AIM, UK), Geert De Blaere (N.E.W.S., Belgium), Tony Kiewel (Sub Pop, USA), and Jason Peterson (GoDigital Media Group, USA). They replace outgoing directors Lisa Levy of Robbins Entertainment, USA, Michel Lambot of PIAS, Belgium, and Paul Pacifico of AIM, UK. Former Chair Maria Amato of AIR, Australia becomes the new treasurer. She joins the Executive Committee made up of Mark Kitcatt (Everlasting Records, Spain), Richard Burgess (A2im, USA), Oliver Knust (IMICHILE, Chile), and White. The Executive Committee will continue to oversee the practical aspects of WIN’s governance.
Along with the appointment of Planas to CEO, Nerea Serrano has been promoted to Community and Projects Manager. Serrano joined WIN as a Communications Officer in 2021 and has experience as coordinator of the Spanish Indie Music Awards, Premios MIN, as well as many years working in record label and event production.
White says, “I am excited to become the chair of WIN’s next chapter in uniting the world’s independent record industry. In our times, it is immaterial whether an artist’s fans reside in their home town or in the opposite hemisphere, as long as we nurture communities which will sustain their business in such a global landscape.”
The WIN board is made up of independent music company and trade association representatives from 13 countries across Asia, Australasia, Europe, North America, and South America.
The 18 members of the WIN board of directors for 2023 are:
Europe
Francesca Trainini (PMI, Italy)
Gee Davy (AIM, UK)
Geert De Blaere (N.E.W.S., Belgium)
Jörg Heidemann (VUT, Germany)
Mark Kitcatt (Everlasting Records, Spain)
Observer: Helen Smith (IMPALA, Europe)
North America
Garry West (Compass Records, USA)
Gord Dimitrieff (Aporia Records, Canada)
Jason Peterson (GoDigital Media Group, USA)
Richard Burgess (A2IM, USA)
Zena White (Partisan Records, USA)
Observer: Tony Kiewel (Sub Pop, USA)
Rest of World
Jeffrey Chiang (LIAK, South Korea)
Maria Amato (AIR, Australia)
Oliver Knust (IMICHILE, Chile)
Sandra Rodrigues (ABMI, Brazil)
Takuya Yamazaki (IMCJ, Japan)
Observer: Dylan Pellett (IMNZ, New Zealand)
