83
JOEL KLAIMAN, 48
Executive vp/GM, Columbia Records
Last Year’s Rank: 90
The veteran Sony and Universal executive gauges his year by indisputable business metrics — Adele‘s 25 is 10 times platinum, Beyoncé‘s Lemonade is double platinum, and The Chainsmokers have a trio of multiplatinum singles: “Closer,” “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Roses.” The graduate from various radio-promotions departments helped break all three. “I try to build an entrepreneurial spirit while I’ve worked inside big companies,” he says. “I’m involved in everything [from] signing through marketing and publicity.”
Leader He Admires: “Bill Belichick: He builds the best team, and he wins. A lot.”
“During my first meeting with Joel, before I had signed to Columbia, he pulled out a piece of paper on which he had outlined how he planned to make an immediate impact on my career. He made a lot of promises — all of which he continues to keep.” — Rachel Platten on Joel Klaiman
