Global Music Leaders Announced

With over 10 years in the music industry, Nicole is the former CEO and Founder of Red Ninja Production, and the current Music Export Lead for SONIK Philippines. Known for curating successful music festivals like the Red Ninja Year Fests and securing partnerships with brands like Jameson, Jack Daniel's, and San Miguel Beer, she created dynamic artistic platforms and managed various artists. She also managed Route 196, a beloved live music venue. Now based in Madrid, Spain, Nicole is dedicated to promoting Filipino bands internationally, working to enhance the global reach of Philippines music through international collaborations and her enriched marketing perspectives.

Maich de la Maria has been working in the music industry for over 7 years as a DJ, music and event producer, and cultural promoter. Her passion lies in amplifying emerging artists from diverse backgrounds, particularly focusing on the LGBTT+ community. She’s the director of RANCHEAR, a free independant festival that sets on the streets of Buenos Aires, aiming to create a moving artistic scene; art rich in its language and possibilities, bringing people from different backgrounds together despite the distance and the differences.

Blossom Maduafokwa is Nigerian culture journalist and event curator whose work heavily centres music and art from the African continent. Her work has appeared in a number of international publications such as GRAMMY.com, Nataal, AMAKA, GUAP Magazine, and the NATIVE Mag, to name a few. She has worked as the Programs Manager of the African Music Library, where she spearheaded collaborations with the likes of Women in Music, TRACE, ONErpm, and the Africa Rising Music Conference. Currently, she works as the Lagos contributing editor of Nataal Media.

Krantinaari, AKA Ashwini Hiremath, the "Voice of the Revolution'', is a multidisciplinary artist, rapper, and graphic designer from India. She strives to empower women, advocate for sustainability, and promote social justice through her music and art. Krantinaari co-founded Wild Wild Women, a collective empowering women through education and community building. Their initiatives, including workshops on women's health and hygiene, create safe spaces for women to share their stories and express themselves freely. Her international residencies, including ONE BEAT in Florida and RE:CLAIM in Denmark, have enriched Krantinaari’s understanding of grassroots-level women, inspiring her to create opportunities for them.

Olha Bekenshtein is a music curator and festival producer from Luhansk/Kyiv, Ukraine, with over 12 years of experience in the music sector. She founded Time Based, a platform for advancing performing arts in Ukraine (previously the Am I Jazz? festival), co-founded the non-profit organisation OK Projects, and co-created the club/art centre Closer in Kyiv. Her curatorial approach centres on cross-sectoral, multi-genre contemporary music programming, presenting vanguard artistic projects, and commissioning experimental collaborations, with a focus on decolonisation, politically aware performance, and ethics in the music industry. As a Fulbright scholar, she earned an MA in Arts Administration from the University of New Orleans in 2020.

Event Manager by day, music lover by always! Scorpio with a creative fire Kim Pham thrives on turning ideas into unforgettable experiences. With six years of event management under her belt, she’s brought festivals and large-scale events to life, like the 10,000-strong Bridge Fest in Hanoi (two years in a row!). Music isn't just a hobby; it's the soundtrack to Kim’s life, and learning piano these past two years is a testament to that passion. Now, she’s ready to take the stage in the music industry, where work is a concert, not a bland box.

‘Start the party, don’t join it’. Ree Sewell has over a decade of experience working in the creative industries starting with event management, presenting, radio then pivoting into tour management and working with and at independent and major labels such as Universal, BMG and Believe, with her first A&R signing, GB/Ghetto Boy, proceeding to feature on Angelique Kidjo’s 2021 Grammy Award winning album, ‘Mother Nature’. She has managed to gain a vast understanding of the music industry coupled with a Masters degree in Music Business Management (University of Westminster), working alongside the Music Workforce and UK Music Futures Board. Ree is passionate about up-skilling the future generation of artists and music executives alike for a healthier music industry.

Aisha Fancy (Nigeria) is currently the General Manager at Ejoya, a music distribution company that provides digital label services like distribution, marketing and royalties collection. Ejoya is a company that has stood out in shaping the future of African music over the last four years through their annual Class series that has become a body of work people look forward to. They also distribute music for a large number of independent artists, featuring some of Africa’s finest talents such as BNXN aka Buju, Grammy award winning Telz, Oxlade, Psycho YP, Karun, Xenia Manasseh, Minz and so many more.

Andrew Ogun is a musician and poet. His music is imbued with an aggressive self-confidence and pride whilst also being strongly connected to his intuition and his inner world, offering reflections and meditations on the state of the world and the state of himself. Ogun is due to release his debut poetry collection, 'Slingshot', in October 2024 via his publisher Lucent Dreaming. This collection features poetry rooted in the tension between where we are and where we want to be. Amidst his creative endeavours, Ogun is also the Agent for Change at the Arts Council of Wales and is the main organiser for BLM Gwent. Through his role with the Arts Council, Ogun has been able to influence policies and structures in order to ensure that the arts and culture sector in Wales is one that represents the diversity of the nation.

A dynamic expert in youth engagement, Latisha initiated her career in Events Management back in 2011. After evolving through various facets of the industry, she delved into talent management and development within the music sector. In a groundbreaking move in 2020, Latisha co-founded NQ Legacy alongside her visionary business partner, Michael Adex. NQ Legacy is a not-for-profit organisation passionately committed to empowering young creatives by offering unparalleled opportunities in the realms of music, film, and television. Apart from her role as the Operations Manager at NQ Legacy, Latisha wears multiple hats as a trainer, project manager, freelance bid writer and coach. Her repertoire includes designing comprehensive training programs tailored for organisations engaging with freelancers, young talents and artists across creative industries such as music, film, dance, and visual arts.

Esta Rae, an events and production manager from the UK, has curated awards shows, album launches, artist tours, galas, festivals and more for companies such as Sony Music, GRM Daily, Spotify, Amazon, BBC and Channel 4. She is a neurodivergent advocate who has dyslexia, dyspraxia, and number dyscalculia, and is a recognised public speaker in schools, prisons and corporate companies, educating and inspiring neurodiverse and non-neurodiverse people with her incredible journey in the music industry. In 2023, Esta Rae was inducted into the Women in Music Roll of Honour for campaigning around neurodiversity in the industry. She is recognised as one of the 2023 top 50 neurodivergent women in the UK, is a Power Up year 3 participant in 2023, and is a trustee for the charity Attitude is Everything which connects disabled people with music and live events. Esta Rae has appeared in DJ Mag, Notion Magazine and more.

Mohamed Ben Said, a Carthage Higher Institute of Commercial Studies graduate, is a prominent cultural actor specialising in cultural and creative industries. He authored two master's theses on the perceived value of cultural products, focusing on music and film. After starting his career in cultural event organisation, he founded Akacia Productions in 2010. Mohamed co-founded the successful "Mousiqa Wassalem" Festival (2011-2013) and launched the "TUNES" program, promoting emerging Arab artists. In 2020, he organised a seminar to enhance governance in Tunisian music festivals. As an expert in Music Industry, Mohamed contributed to structuring the International Festival of Dougga and earned recognition from Afrique Créative and Al Marred AL Thaqafy.