(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) —
Michael D. Fleisher has been named executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Warner Music Group (WMG). Based in New York, He will report to WMG chairman and CEO Edgar Bronfman, Jr. For five years, Fleisher, 40, served as chairman and CEO of Gartner Inc., the world's leading technology research company. In his new position, Fleisher will oversee all finance functions as well as information technology and investor relations for WMG. Michael Ward, WMG's interim CFO, will return to his full-time position as managing director of Bain Capital.
"Michael brings a wealth of experience in finance and technology and I couldn't be more pleased to welcome him to the Warner Music team," said Bronfman. "Michael's background, in combination with his vast global business experience and understanding of the impact of technology on content industries, makes him particularly well suited to lead our worldwide financial operations. In short, Michael has been an innovator everywhere he has worked, and I'm confident that he'll bring the same level of imaginative leadership to the numerous responsibilities he'll be handling for the Music Group. I also want to thank Michael Ward for his outstanding contribution as interim CFO and for deftly guiding WMG's finance functions during our transition to an independent company."
"I am extremely excited to be joining Edgar and the incredibly talented team at Warner Music," said Fleisher. "It's so clear to me that there will be tremendous change and upside for those music companies that leverage new technologies and new business models to monetize content. Warner Music is perfectly positioned to take advantage of this changing world and I intend to use my previous experiences in the worlds of finance, technology and content to make sure that happens." –Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
