Bravado Announces Executive Appointments
• Bravado, Universal Music Group’s (UMG’s) leading merchandise and brand management company, announced new leadership appointments: Alyssa Tobias is named Vice President, Head of Creative Services; Bill Ashton is now Head of A&R; Keith Taperell is upped to Vice President, Global Brand Partnerships & Energy Marketing; and Kim Youngberg is the newly named Head of Legal. (l-r): Tobias, Ashton, Taperell & Youngberg
In making this announcement, Matt Young, President of Bravado said, “I’m such a fan of these incredible artists and it’s an honor to be entrusted to help support their creative visions. As Bravado’s roster continues to expand, our company has evolved to ensure that we are giving our artists best-in-class support and services and excited to announced that Alyssa, Bill, Keith and Kim have joined our senior leadership team.”
• As VP, Head of Creative Services, Tobias will head up Bravado’s global creative team. She most recently held the position of SVP, Creative at Live Nation Merchandise. Tobias began her career as a designer at Island/Def Jam before joining The Araca Group as SVP, Creative. Tobias is based in Los Angeles and reports to Jesper Poulsen.
• In his newly created role as Head of A&R, Ashton will drive new commercial and creative opportunities for Bravado’s roster of artists and brands. He was most recently Managing Director for Songkick, a Warner Music Group (WMG) acquisition. Prior to that, he was SVP of Warner-Elektra-Atlantic (WEA)’s Artist Service International. Prior to WEA, Ashton held leadership positions at Scorebig Inc., Live Nation Entertainment, and Ticketmaster, and he started his career as the manager of the iconic Blue Note Jazz Club in New York. He’s based in New York and reports to Matt Young.
• In his newly created role, Taperell will direct the execution, tone, and vision across multiple categories and touchpoints with an emphasis on global fashion, streetwear, and luxury brands. Taperell joined Bravado in 2020 as UK Vice President of Sales & Retail, where he has been spearheading Bravado’s artist and fan engagement. Prior to Bravado Taperell held senior management positions at Converse, Levi’s, Carhartt & Timberland. Taperell is based in the UK and reports to Bravado SVP, Global Licensing, Lisa Streff.
• Prior to joining Bravado, Youngberg was a partner at The Davis Firm, where she was named to Variety’s Power Woman list in 2021 and Top Music Lawyer by Billboard in 2021 and 2022. Prior to her tenure at The Davis Firm, Youngberg served as General Counsel of Screenvision Media, and early in her career she was the SVP of Business and Legal Affairs for Wind-up Records. Youngberg is based in New York and reports to Matt Young. [Photos courtesy of UMG]
