Island President Louis Bloom has announced the appointment of Nicola Spokes as Managing Director.

The highly respected, award-winning executive joins the label following the appointment of long-time Island exec Natasha Mann to a new role as Universal Music UK’s Director of Diversity & Inclusion, announced last month.

Reporting to Louis Bloom, Spokes will work closely with Island SVP Steve Pitron and the remainder of the label’s senior team who have overseen an unbroken run of Top 10 debut album success with UK-signed artists Sigrid, Dermot Kennedy, Easy Life, M Huncho and Sports Team as well the spectacular UK chart performance of global superstars Ariana Grande, Drake and The Weeknd.

Spokes is moving to Island after four years at Universal Music’s label & artist services division, as UK Label Head of Caroline International, where she has overseen release campaigns for a diverse range of artists including BRIT-nominated D-Block Europe, recent top 5 breakthrough Digga D, Fiction’s Tame Impala and last year’s number one single for Internet Money. Prior to joining Universal she spent 15 years moving up the ranks at Ministry of Sound, ultimately becoming Marketing Director having run award-winning marketing campaigns for Example [2011 Music Week Award for Independent Artist Marketing Campaign Of The Year, for “Won’t Go Quietly”] and London Grammar [2014 Music Week Award for Independent Artist Marketing Campaign Of The Year “If You Wait”].

Island President Louis Bloom says, “Nicola is widely regarded as one of the brightest and most respected creative marketeers in the industry and we are absolutely delighted that she joins us as Managing Director, particularly at such an exciting time for the label. Her passion, strategic flair and visionary thinking make her a fantastic addition to an already brilliant team and I know that she will play a huge part in the future success of this great label. I’d also like to take this opportunity, on behalf of everyone at Island, to thank Natasha for her immeasurable contribution to our success over the last 12 years and while we are very sad to see her go, I honestly can’t think of anyone better equipped to lead Universal Music UK’s Diversity & Inclusion team.”

Nicola says, “Island Records has always been the home of the most unique and culturally-impactful artists, and voices, in British music. Artists that have shaped and sound-tracked my childhood, youth and adulthood. I am thrilled to be joining Louis and the team to continue the evolution of this amazing label and their incredible roster, and to play a part in writing the next chapter of the Island story.”