EMI France has appointed Olivier Montfort as president, effective April 14.
Montfort will report to EMI Europe, Middle East and Africa president David Kassler. He replaces Nathalie Collin, who left the company in January 2009 to join national newspaper Liberation.
Monfort is a seasoned music executive; he started his career in 1982 at French leading music retailer Fnac, then joined Virgin in 1988 to launch Virgin Megastores in France.
From 1993 to 2004, Montfort worked for Sony Music France, where he ended up as chairman/CEO; he was then appointed chairman/CEO of Sony BMG France, leaving in 2005. He developed leading artists including Jean-Jacques Goldman and Céline Dion.
Lately, Monfort had been working as COO of French film producer and distributor Europacorp, founded by movie director Luc Besson.
David Kassler welcomed Monfort in a press statement. “His experience and his relationship with the artists’ community will be great assets for us in the future,” he said.
