ABOUT US

George Ash  

PPCA Board Chairman

George Ash became a member of the PPCA Board in August 2003.

George is also the Managing Director of Universal Music Australia (UMA), a division of the Universal Music Group.

Prior to George's current position with Universal Music Australia, he held positions as Managing Director, Universal Music NZ, Managing Director, MCA Geffen NZ and held key management roles at BMG NZ. George has also held roles in Polygram Manufacturing and in the Retail sector.

George's passion for the music industry began as a musician and has spanned 25 years including holding a variety of roles in key industry bodies within the NZ Industry before relocating to Australia in his current role in 2001.

Denis Handlin, AM  

PPCA Board Member

Denis is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SONY BMG Music Entertainment Australia and New Zealand, having previously held a number of senior positions within Sony Music Entertainment Australia since 1971, including the CEO role since 1984.

Denis' deep involvement in the music industry is reflected in his current position as Chairman of the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA), and his previous experience as Chairman of the ARIA Chart Committee. Denis has also been a Chairman of PPCA and has served on the committees of several industry associations.

In 2005, Denis was named a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia in the General Division for his service to the music industry, particularly through the promotion of Australian musicians, to professional organisations, and to the community through fundraising for charitable organisations. Denis is a co-founder and a Governor of the Sony Foundation which has raised over $6 million in six years for charitable causes. In 2003, he also accepted the invitation to become a patron of Youth Off The Streets charity.

Lindy Morrison 

PPCA Board Member

Lindy Morrison has been a member of the PPCA Board, as a representative of registered Australian recording artists, since 1994. Lindy toured the world as a drummer, with Zero, The Go-Betweens and Cleopatra Wong, from 1978 until 1992. Since then, Lindy has worked around Australia as the musical director or performer in shows, parades and festivals, and has lead drum and music workshops with many diverse and varied community groups.

Lindy is also a Director on the Music Council of Australia Board, and she is the National Coordinator for Support Act Ltd – the benevolent society for musicians and workers in the music industry.

Lindy can be contacted at lindymorrison@optushome.com.au

Ed St John 

PPCA Board Member

Ed St John is the President & CEO of Warner Music Australasia, a division of the Warner Music Group. Prior to joining Warner in February 2004, Ed was the Managing Director of BMG Australia for four years, having previously held a number of senior positions within the company since joining in 1998. Ed has also held the position of Director of Marketing at Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Australia.

Ed's long association with the music industry includes work as a television writer and producer, specialising in music and entertainment-focused programming and as a freelance music writer and contributor to several key books on Australian music.

Mark Poston  

PPCA Board Member

Mark's passion is music - so much so it's likely to be found in his DNA one day. He has worked in music since 1989, in a number of roles from running a record store to working in various roles at labels including Sony and BMG - working with many Australian and International artists and managers. By the time he turned 30 he was Head of Capitol Records at EMI Australia working with artists such as Silverchair, Coldplay, Jet, Keith Urban, Paul Mac, Robbie Williams, The Living End, Kasey Chambers, John Williamson, The Finn Brothers and Gorillaz. In 2005, he was promoted to Director, Global Marketing for EMI based in London. In July 2006, Mark went on to be Director of a new EMI UK frontline label Angel Music Group/Charisma. In August 2008, he returned to Australia as Chairman and Senior Vice President of Marketing for EMI Australasia, based in Sydney.

He never wants to become cynical or jaded, and could do with 30 hours in the day instead of the average 24.

Paul Christie  

PPCA Board Member

Paul is a musician, currently performing with Mondo Rock, Rockhouse and The Big Daddys.  He devised The Party Boys, attaining record concert ticket sales and a No.1 Single along with platinum and gold albums for EMI and SONY.

He has published two 'how to' books for music industry starters, utilising these texts as curriculum for his tenure as lecturer at the Australian Institute of Music.  Paul has also consulted with the NSW Ministry for The Arts on contemporary music education, conducting several highly successful seminars for the Ministry over a 3 year period.

Paul has experience and understanding of Information Technologies and has lived and worked in New York 95/96/97, in film, and Los Angeles in music.  He is a passionate music lover and staunch supporter of musicians and their rights to broad based incomes.  He is a member of APRA, PPCA and a retired member of the AMMF.

Bill Cullen

PPCA Board Member

Bill became a member of the board of the PPCA in 2004, as the manager representative.

Bill is the Managing Director of One Louder Entertainment, the management home to Paul Kelly, End Of Fashion,  Sarah Blasko and The Drones.  He has been involved in the music business since leaving school, and did a long stretch working with Grant Thomas Management, working with acts such as Crowded House and The Rockmelons. A five year stint in London followed, where he worked with the legendary Pete Jenner (manager of Pink Floyd, The Clash, Billy Bragg etc.), before going on to co-manage New Zealand act OMC (How Bizarre) who went on to a number one single and gold album in the US. He returned to Australia in 1999, and established One Louder, and has since had gold plus success with Alex Lloyd, George, Amiel, Sarah Blasko, End Of Fashion and Paul Kelly.

Sebastian Chase

PPCA Board Member

Sebastian, the newest addition to the board, is the founder MGM Distribution, now Australia’s most diverse distributor of Australian music, working with many indie artists including John Butler, The Waifs, and The Beautiful Girls. He has played an integral role in the evolution of Australian music, starting his career by managing legendary bands such as Rose Tattoo, Dragon and the early days of Cold Chisel.

In the 80s, Sebastian established Chase Records, a pioneer at offering major distribution (via CBS, now Sony BMG) to other independent labels such as Survival Records. From there, he established rooArt Records together with Chris Murphy & Justin Van Stom, leaving in the 90s to become a partner in Phantom Records. He later went on to found the Black Yak label in partnership with Tim Freidman from The Whitlams.

Sebastian has become a key advisor to some of Australia’s most iconic talents and his DIY model is changing the way independent artists bring their music to the fans.

PPCA Management

Stephen Peach 

PPCA CEO

Stephen Peach, prior to joining PPCA as CEO in January 2002, was a partner with law firm Gilbert & Tobin, specialising in the areas of intellectual property and entertainment law. More recently, Stephen was Chief of Business Development and Corporate Counsel with Internet-based ASP company Peakhour.

At Gilbert & Tobin, Stephen was the principal lawyer for PPCA, providing him with an insight into the many legal, commercial and political issues involved with the broadcasting and public performance rights of recorded music. Stephen holds Degrees in Arts and Law from Sydney University.