Rebecca Allen is stepping down as Chief Artist and Strategy Officer at Universal Music Group UK after 27 years with the company. She will continue working with Universal Music Group (UMG) in an advisory capacity.
Allen disclosed her decision in an email addressed to “friends, colleagues and Universal family” on Tuesday, October 13. She wrote that “the time feels right for me to turn the page and make space for a new chapter,” adding that she would “remain connected to UMG in an advisory capacity.”
From press assistant to label president
After beginning her career at the BBC, Allen joined Universal Music in 1999 as a press assistant. She subsequently became Director of Media at Decca, followed by General Manager in 2012 and Managing Director in 2014.
Her appointment as President of Decca Records Group UK in 2017 made her the first woman to lead the label.
In June 2020, Allen was named President of the relaunched EMI Records. She became Co-President in 2022, when Jo Charrington joined her in the role.
Recent strategy and audience roles
After EMI and Island Records UK merged in July 2024, Allen took charge of the newly established Audience & Media division, now called Audience, Media & Strategy.
She was promoted to Chief Artist and Strategy Officer at UMG UK in December 2025, retaining responsibility for the Audience, Media & Strategy and Artist Relations teams.
In her email, Allen wrote:
“Music and artists have always been at the centre of my world, and the driving force behind every decision I’ve made. To have spent 27 years working alongside such extraordinary artists, and the brilliant people who surround them, has been an enormous privilege.”
