Leila Oliveira has been named president of Warner Music Brazil, succeeding Sérgio Affonso, who is stepping down in October to launch his own independent label. Affonso spent 38 years at Warner Music, the last 15 as president of Warner Music Brazil, where he signed Anitta.
Oliveira, who is the first woman to lead a major label in the country, will report to Alejandro Duque, president of Warner Music Latin America, and continue to be based at Warner Music Brazil’s headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, the company said Thursday (Sept. 22).
Affonso spent most of his career in Brazil, with a stint as president of Warner Music Mexico from 2002 to 2007. His more-recent artist signings include IZA, Kevinho, Ludmilla, MC Fioti, MC Lan, Pedro Sampaio and Pocah. In Brazil, he also worked with Brazilian music giants like Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil.
While in Mexico, Affonso signed artists such as Jesse y Joy, Miguel Islas, Panda and Ximena Sariñana. And he has worked with a long line of Latin stars, including Alejandro Sanz, Laura Pausini, Luis Miguel, Maná and Miguel Bosé. He also actively participated in the tours of some of Warner Music’s biggest global artists, including David Bowie, Madonna and Tina Turner.
Affonso, in a statement, said he had “proudly indicated” Oliveira as his successor. “I’m sure she’ll build on my legacy to make Warner Music Brazil even bigger and better,” he said. “I’ve got a number of exciting projects in the pipeline and will be speaking about them in due course.”
WMG said it will distribute Affonso’s new label.
Oliveira joined Warner Music Brazil in 2013, heading up its business development operations, and has helped shift the label to a digital-first business model. Since November, Oliveira has served as general manager of Warner Music Brazil, overseeing the company’s A&R, marketing and business development functions.
Oliveira started out in the entertainment industry in 2007, when she worked as a production manager at Bandit Films & Digital, a company that specialized in creating promos and branded online and TV content. She later worked for Telefónica, overseeing its video-on-demand content, and subsequently moved to Terra Networks, where she led the company’s global content acquisition strategy for areas from news to music. She then joined Warner Music.
“This is a pivotal moment in the development of Warner Music Brazil,” says Duque. “Sergio has done so much to build a strong company that has delivered amazing success for artists from a huge range of backgrounds. Now Leila will write the next chapter in the company’s history.”
Simon Robson, president of international, Warner Recorded Music, called Oliveira “a pioneer in the Brazilian music business, helping lead our digital transition in such a vast and important market.”
