Andrew Cash is the President and CEO of the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), the voice of Canada’s independent music sector. As a Member of Parliament from 2011 to 2015 Cash championed the music sector while raising awareness of the realities of making a living in Canada as an arts and culture worker. He continued this mission post-Parliament, co-founding the non-profit Urban Worker Project.   As a singer/songwriter, producer and performer Cash spent 25 years touring and recording, first in the post punk band L’Etranger followed by a successful solo career as well as several collaborations including the Cash Brothers, with Peter Cash, Skydiggers and Jason Collett. He has created soundtrack music for television, including as series composer for Dragons Den. Cash has released over a dozen records and his contributions as an artist have earned him a Juno award and three SOCAN awards. His music can be found at https://andrewcash.net.

Zena White is the COO of Partisan Records & Left Music, Chair of WIN's Board of Directors and a board member at A2IM and RIAA. Since joining Partisan full-time in 2017, she has led the label to breakthrough success with a diverse set of artists including Cigarettes After Sex, IDLES, PJ Harvey, and the catalogue of Fela Kuti amongst many others. Zena is deeply interested in the intersection of art and commerce and believes that independently-owned music companies are essential to counterbalance the risk of monoculture brought on by algorithmic consumption models.

Mark Kitcatt was born and raised in South London, and a music fan since his teenage years. His first job was at the Rough Trade warehouse in 1985 - he remained there until he moved to Spain in 1990 - where he has worked ever since, managing and owning Everlasting Records and Popstock, the eminent Iberian music companies, with offices in Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon. Kitcatt was a founding member of UFI, and has also served on the boards of Merlin, IMPALA and WIN.

Tony Kiewel is the President of Sub Pop Records/Hardly Art/Sub Pop Publishing, where he’s worked for the last 24 years. He also serves on the boards of A2IM and WIN. Before coming to Sub Pop he worked for Geffen Records and Dreamworks Records in LA while DJing at KXLU and promoting shows around Los Angeles. For several years he was a member of Seattle’s Music Commission where he worked with the city to address issues the local music community was facing.

Max Tiel is co-founder of Thunderboom Records, a non-profit innovation lab for the music industry. Thunderboom Records is the driving force behind various cooperative responsible music-tech projects with a goal to ensure that emerging tech adds positive value to the music industry. They work with a wide variety of national and international partners ranging from Popronde to Effenaar, Amsterdam Dance Event to Sónar Barcelona, and from the Universiteit Utrecht to King’s College London. Their project, Open Culture Tech, is a talent development, knowledge and network program making the latest AI, AR and avatar tech more accessible to emerging artists. Max is also a guitar player and music producer with prior experience as project lead on creative collaboration projects.

Joost de Boo is co-founder of Thunderboom Records, a non-profit innovation lab for the music industry. As initiator and executive producer, Thunderboom Records is the driving force behind various cooperative responsible music-tech projects. They work with a wide variety of national and international partners ranging from Popronde to Effenaar, Amsterdam Dance Event to Sónar Barcelona, and from the Universiteit Utrecht to King’s College London. Their project, Open Culture Tech, is a talent development, knowledge and network program making the latest AI, AR and avatar tech more accessible to emerging artists. Additionally, Joost is a lecturer in Creative Technology at the AVANS Academy for Technology and Design.

Gord Dimitrieff has been in the independent music business his entire professional career; as a college radio DJ, road manager, label owner and publisher. In 2000, he founded Aporia Records, an integrated label-publisher that has released near 70 albums. He is also on the board of the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN), and board member and vice-chair of the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA).

Gee Davy is AIM’s CEO, with 20+ years across the music industry, a background in law, technology and policy.  Gee is a board member of UK Music, IMPALA, WIN, and funding scheme MEGS among others.  Gee believes passionately in creating positive change, is a UK Women in Music Awards Honoree, and a trustee of education charity UD Foundation.

Noemí Planas is CEO at WIN, the international organization connecting the independent music community worldwide. Previously she was a board member of IMPALA, the European association of independent music companies, and a founder member and Executive Manager of the Spanish Independent Phonographic Union (UFI). She also worked at a record label, coordinated a music festival, did booking and tour managing, and founded her own music publishing company. She is a PM4R Expert on project management (Professional, Agile and Leadership) certified by the Inter-American Development Bank and has co-authored the reports Analysis of European IP Laws for Audio Branding Context and Report on Collecting Schemes Europe.

Tak has worked for more than 25 years in the entertainment industry, primarily in music. In addition to handling legal matters and negotiations for various stakeholders, including artists, managers, music publishers, labels, and rights management organizations, he holds executive positions in associations including the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) and IMPEL. In Japan, he is dedicated to fostering positive change within the industry through initiatives like the establishment of Merlin Japan in 2016 and his role as a business advisor for Music Ally Japan. Tak has received several honors and recognitions, notably being listed as one of the ‘Best Lawyers’ in the field of ‘Media and Entertainment Law’ in Japan.

Jason Peterson is the CEO of GoDigital Media Group (GDMG). Peterson founded GDMG in 2006. Since then, the company has launched and acquired multiple brands that leverage technology to enable IP rights management. Peterson is an experienced entrepreneur, attorney, and producer – named as one of the ‘Top 30 Entrepreneurs under 30’ by The Los Angeles Business Journal and a ‘40 Under 40 Power Player’ in the music and video industries by Billboard and Media Play News, respectively. GoDigital Media Group includes subsidiaries Cinq Music, Sound Royalties, AdShare, ContentBridge, Mitu, YogaWorks, and Latido Networks. In his role as Chairman at GoDigital Media Group, Jason utilizes technology to help the entertainment industry monetize its intellectual property and navigate the digital transformation. Prior to working at the intersection of media and technology, Jason was a producer, credited with seven feature films, nine television pilots, and numerous commercials and music videos. Peterson is also on Merlin’s Board of Advisors and WIN’s Board of Directors.

Maarten Walraven operates at the intersection of music, technology, communities, and education. He wears many different hats, from creating new models to creative funding and music projects to teaching music business at Utrecht University. Musically, it's all genre-hopping and thinking about the right sound for the right setting. There's always a song or piece of music to connect people. If you want to follow his thinking, the best place is MUSIC x, the newsletter he produces.

Nerea Serrano is the Community & Projects Manager at WIN, the international organization representing independent music trade associations worldwide where she develops projects like WINHUB International Networking. Her work is driven by a genuine passion for community-building and supporting the global independent music sector. 

Previously she was the Senior Event Coordinator at the Spanish Independent Phonographic Union (UFi) where she oversaw 3 successful editions of the Spanish Independent Music Awards (Premios MIN) and other event and development projects. She also worked at record labels and has booked and toured with international artists in Spain and Europe.

Maria Amato is the CEO of AIR and WIN Executive Board member and Treasurer. Amato has worked in the arts and not-for-profit sector for over 30 years specializing in finance management and leadership. 

Elected as the first female and first person from the Southern hemisphere to chair the board of WIN as part of its annual rotation in Feb 2022, Amato was then elected as treasurer in Feb 2023 and continues to serve as a member of WIN’s executive committee. Maria has held former non-executive director positions for the Adelaide UNESCO City Of Music, the Australian Institute of Music and Music Victoria.

K. Marty Ro began his journey as the President & CEO of Metropolis Korea Limited, the Korean arm of Metropolis Music Group in London. Presently, he serves as the Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Sound Republica, Inc., the official partner of the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London, UK. Over his career, Marty has been instrumental in sound production, contributing to the creation of over 1,000 albums and 4,500 songs from South Korea. He has organized and produced showcases, shows, and concerts in Europe in K-Pop and K-Music. He has collaborated with more than 500 artists, including notable names such as Cho Yong Phil, Yoon Jong Shin, Lee Seung Hwan, Lee Seung Chul, Dynamic Duo, Primary, Jay Park, Zion T, Nell, Infinite, Loco, Suzy, Dean, Beenzino, Apink, Jaurim, and Wanna One, among others. Beyond his roles in music production and distribution, Marty also plays a pivotal role in introducing Korean and Japanese music to the world through his involvement in Mahocast's Korean and British services. Marty has served as the Vice-Chair & board member of Record Label Industry Association of Korea (LIAK), and is also a Director & board member of Worldwide Independent Network for Music (WIN).

Sridhar Swaminathan owns the music company Sruthilaya, based in Chennai. He is the Present Secretary and one of the charter members of the South India Music Companies Association (SIMCA), where he served multiple positions of Treasurer and Joint Secretary. Hailing from a music family with more than 3 decades of experience in the music business, he has actively participated in amendments to the copyright act. Sridhar represents the industry with Government departments, is a regular speaker at industry events, and currently board Observer of WIN. He is has a passionate interest in Music Publishing, Music Distribution, Technology and Education.

Audrey Sylvestre is a Canadian music professional and strategist, currently serving as Music Operations Director at Cult Nation. She brings a unique blend of expertise in label, management, music supervision & licensing, and operational leadership, honed through her previous role at Bam Music, and through years of consulting at Deloitte and Aviseo in strategy and transformation.

Lisa is an accomplished entertainment lawyer and executive who’s highly skilled in the drafting and negotiation of key entertainment industry agreements as well as the negotiations of content for use in film, television gaming and non-traditional physical & digital products. Owner of  Lisa Whynot Entertainment and Media Law, she’s versed in Canadian, American and international copyright laws and policies.