Prince Charles presents Max Hole with his CBE
Music industry veteran Max Hole was presented with his CBE by Prince Charles during a ceremony Thursday at Buckingham Palace.
Hole, the former chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group International, was recognized for his services to the global music industry in The Queen’s 2015 Birthday Honours List.
Universal Music Group International Chief Max Hole Steps Down
According to the Evening Times, the occasion marked the first time Hole had visited Buckingham Palace or met Prince Charles. “I have worked in the music industry since I was 20 and my life has been amazing working with lots of brilliant artists, but ending up here is the cherry on the cake,” he said.
The pair also reportedly chatted about their shared interest in vinyl.
Hole surprised the music biz when, in October, he announced he was stepping down from his role as chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group International with immediate effect due to health issues.
The prominent exec joined UMGI in 1998 from Warner Music U.K. to become senior VP, marketing and A&R. In 2004, he was promoted to the role of executive VP and he became COO in July 2010, a role which saw him tasked with Universal’s operations outside of North America, the United Kingdom and France. In 2013 was appointed chairman and CEO of UMGI.
Lucian Grainge Issues Memo on Outgoing International Chief Max Hole
Hole was central to Universal’s worldwide recording and artist services agreement for The Voice TV franchise and he was instrumental in bringing to Universal Music the likes of Taylor Swift, Queen, the Eagles and others, Also, Hole played a key role in shepherding the Chinese search engine Baidu’s landmark licensing agreement with One-Stop China, a joint venture established by Universal, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group.