BandLab Technologies names Ivan Chen as chief executive

BandLab Technologies has a new boss. Ivan Chen becomes chief executive officer on October 1. The Singapore-headquartered company announced the change on September 30, Music Business Worldwide reported.

Chen succeeds co-founder Meng Ru Kuok, who is becoming executive chairman. Kuok had served as chairman and chief executive since co-founding the business in 2015. He remains group chief executive of the parent company, Caldecott Music Group.

An executive chairman leads the board, while a chief executive runs the daily business. That split puts Kuok in charge of oversight and long term direction at BandLab Technologies. Chen takes responsibility for operations and execution.

Chen will keep his current post as group president of Caldecott Music Group alongside the new role. He joined BandLab Technologies in 2016 as group chief operating officer, the senior manager in charge of day-to-day operations. He became president in 2024, after eight years with the company.

Before BandLab, Chen was chief executive for Asia at Forbes Media. That role covered the business side of publishing in the region, including sales and operations. He moved to BandLab a year after Kuok founded the company.

The wider group took its current shape in December 2021. BandLab Technologies rebranded as Caldecott Music Group at that point. The group then divided into three parts: BandLab Technologies, Vista Musical Instruments, and NME Networks.

The reorganisation also built out the central team. Grace Chong was appointed group chief financial officer of Caldecott Music Group, Variety reported at the time. The finance chief looks after accounts, spending and investment across the group.

Under Kuok and Chen, the business also raised outside funds. In 2023, BandLab raised 25 million US dollars in a Series B1 round, an early stage investment for growing companies, at a valuation of 425 million US dollars, Hits Daily Double reported. A valuation is the price tag investors place on the whole company.

What makes this stand out is continuity. Both men have worked together at the group for almost a decade. The handover keeps leadership inside the company rather than bringing in an outsider.

For users, little changes on the surface. BandLab Technologies runs the BandLab platform, where people record, edit and share songs. The top job passes to someone who has already run much of its daily business for years.