Highly respected executive Rebecca Allen is leaving Universal Music Group UK after 27 years, Music Week has learned.
The popular and experienced industry leader has announced her departure in a memo to staff, which Music Week has obtained. She will continue in an advisory role at UMG.
Following the merger of EMI and Island in July 2024, Allen was appointed as president of the new Audience & Media division, and subsequently promoted to the newly-formed, "first-of-its-kind" leadership role of chief artist and strategy officer in December 2025.
Becky Allen’s long career at the major included spells as president and later co-president of the rebooted EMI (alongside Women In Music winner Jo Charrington) and president of Decca in 2017 – the first female president at a Universal Music UK label. She also oversaw Decca's 90th anniversary and achieved multi-genre success, including spectacular sales for Michael Ball & Alfie Boe.
At Decca, she rose from the press department and ended up heading the UK label, where she worked closely with Dickon Stainer, who’s now CEO & chairman of Universal Music Group UK. She won the Businesswoman Of The Year trophy at the Women In Music Awards in 2017.
“To my friends, colleagues and Universal family, after 27 years at Universal Music, this chapter is coming to an end,” wrote Becky Allen in the memo to colleagues. “I’ll be stepping away from my current role and, while I’ll remain connected to UMG in an advisory capacity, the time feels right for me to turn the page and make space for a new chapter.
“There are, of course, a lot of emotions that come with saying goodbye after so long. Mostly, I feel incredibly fortunate.”
Music and artists have always been at the centre of my world, and the driving force behind every decision I’ve made
Rebecca Allen
In her Outstanding Contribution acceptance speech at the Women In Music Awards, Jo Charrington singled out her fellow EMI co-president Allen’s achievements at the major, including their time together in charge at the label, which saw the early success of Olivia Dean, as well as market share victories, huge chart results in the UK for Taylor Swift and consecutive wins in the Record Company category at the Music Week Awards.
“Music and artists have always been at the centre of my world, and the driving force behind every decision I’ve made,” added Allen in her memo. “To have spent 27 years working alongside such extraordinary artists, and the brilliant people who surround them, has been an enormous privilege.
“I’ve always believed that how you do something matters just as much as what you do. Be kind. Be respectful. Be brave. Continue to push creative boundaries. Make space for brilliant people to be brilliant. Fight for the ideas you believe in. And always put the music and the artist at the heart of everything.”
She added: “I leave enormously proud of what we’ve created together, grateful for the friendships, the adventures, the lessons and the laughter, and for 27 years that have shaped me in more ways than I probably even realise yet.
“It’s been quite a ride. I can’t thank you all enough for being on this journey with me. Love to you all.”
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