Warner Music names Sonny Takhar to lead UK and Ireland from January 2027
Sonny Takhar will become Chairman and CEO of Warner Music UK & Ireland in January 2027.
Warner Music Group confirmed the appointment on 28 September 2026. The post puts Takhar in charge of the organisation's recorded-music business in the UK and Ireland, covering its frontline labels, artist signings and campaign work. Music Business Worldwide
Takhar has spent much of his career at the intersection of records, television and live entertainment. He was a founding partner of Syco Entertainment. He later co-founded KYN Entertainment in Los Angeles, a joint venture with concert promoter Live Nation.
He starts in January. The four-month gap between announcement and start allows for a handover period before he takes control of the UK and Irish operation.
His remit is wide. It includes oversight of the UK and Irish operations of ADA, Warner's distribution arm for independent labels and artists. That arm provides distribution, the service that moves music from smaller labels into physical shops and streaming services, along with marketing and other support.
Takhar will also work in close partnership with Elliot Grainge and Aaron Bay-Schuck. The brief is to ensure creative and commercial alignment across Warner's UK and US labels, so artists developed on one side of the Atlantic can be coordinated on the other.
Grainge and Bay-Schuck lead Warner's two main US label groups. Grainge is CEO and Chairman of Atlantic Music Group and Chairman of ADA in the US. Bay-Schuck is Chairman and CEO of Warner Records Group. He now holds that role as sole chief.
The appointment forms part of a wider reshuffle of Warner's recorded-music leadership. Alejandro Duque was promoted to president of Warner Music International. Guillermo Gonzalez was promoted to president of Warner Music EMEA, the regional structure for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Musically
For listeners, these are back-office jobs. Label chiefs approve signings, set campaign budgets and decide how teams in different countries work together on a release. When London, New York and Los Angeles coordinate, it affects release timing, promotion and how an act is introduced to new audiences.
