Universal Music Publishing Group has promoted Maree Hamblion to executive vice president, A&R and creative, Australia and New Zealand. She will lead the publisher’s creative and talent-development strategy across the region from Sydney.
UMPG managing director for the U.K. and head of global A&R David Gray, to whom Hamblion reports, announced the move Monday (Oct. 19). It follows her signing of Tones and I, the ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter-producer. UMPG did not disclose the terms of the deal. Tones and I’s “Dance Monkey” was a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 4, and in January 2020 it made her the No. 1 act on the Hot 100 Songwriters chart. Warner Chappell had signed her in 2019 to administer her compositions worldwide outside Australia and New Zealand.
“Australia and New Zealand have always produced extraordinary music and some of the world’s most distinctive songwriters and artists,” Gray said. UMPG chairman/CEO Jody Gerson said Hamblion “understands that developing songwriters and artists locally also means creating opportunities for them globally.” Hamblion said songwriters “are at the heart of everything we do.”
Her expanded remit includes local facilities. UMPG will add a dedicated writing room and content space alongside its existing LVL 4 recording studio.
Hamblion joined UMPG’s Australia and New Zealand office in 2024 as senior vice president, A&R. Her signings there include Benny Morrell, Matthew Ifield, Esha Tewari, Rupert Bullard, Ownlife and Lach Bostock. She has also set up joint ventures with Peach Publishing, THIS IS NOISE, Apple Street Music and Artist Labs, the last of which has signed Midnight Til Morning, Lane Pittman and Lime Cordiale.
Before UMPG, she spent more than a decade at Sony/ATV, later Sony Music Publishing. Sony promoted her to senior vice president, international A&R in 2021, and her signings there included Sarah Aarons, Alex Hope and Jawsh 685. She began her career at EMI Music Publishing’s Sydney office in 1995 and spent more than 17 years there. Her work at EMI included Savage Garden, PNAU and The Veronicas.
