Karen Dagg and Jade Bradshaw have both been promoted to become marketing directors at Polydor Records with immediate effect.
The promotions announced by label president Ben Mortimer recognise the significant contribution both have made to shaping the success of some of Polydor’s biggest breakthrough artists, as well as overseeing innovative marketing campaigns for major domestic and international acts.
Karen Dagg began her marketing career at Atlantic Records in 2008 where she worked on No.1 campaigns for Paramore, Fun and Paolo Nutini, amongst others. She joined Polydor in 2016 and was promoted to head of marketing four years later.
During her tenure at Polydor, she has helmed a dozen No.1 single/album campaigns for the likes of Lady Gaga, The Rolling Stones, Lana Del Rey (which earned her a Music Week Awards nomination), Frank Turner, Paul Weller and Florence + The Machine. Alongside this she has led the marketing strategy for Sam Fender, who is now a platinum-selling artist.
Bradshaw’s first position in music was as channel manager for flagship UK Black music TV Channel AKA. She joined Polydor in 2018 as a marketing manager and, following a string of No.1 chart successes, she was promoted to head of marketing in 2020.
During her time at Polydor, Bradshaw has worked successful marketing campaigns for the likes of Clavish, M1llionz, Bandokay, Blackpink, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Juice Wrld, Pop Smoke, Snoh Aalegra, Summer Walker, Willow and Wretch 32, as well as helping launch Tiffany Calver’s No Requests label.
She is a member of the Universal Music UK Task Force for Meaningful Change and was officially appointed to the Tate Membership Advisory Council in 2020.
The new roles will see Dagg and Bradshaw collaborating on marketing strategy and initiatives, continuing to lead on artist campaigns as well as overseeing teams within the marketing department.
Dagg and Bradshaw will report into Polydor’s co-managing director Stephen Hallowes.
“Karen is an exceptional and highly experienced marketeer who approaches every campaign with passion, care and an unrivalled critical eye,” said Hallowes. “As meticulous as she is creative, Karen has guided campaigns for some of Polydor’s biggest superstar artists as well as being really instrumental in the success of one of the label’s biggest breakthrough artists of the last few years in Sam Fender, taking him from Omeara to the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in just four years.
“Jade has been a rising star in Polydor since she joined the label in 2018. Not only is she a brilliant marketeer but is also one of the label’s primary advocates in the Black music space. Her work with Juice Wrld and Pop Smoke was instrumental in the UK being such a key market for both. Her development work over the last 18 months with domestic signing Clavish and recent success with a Top 10 single and Top 5 mixtape has led him to be one of Polydor’s most exciting new artists for 2023.
“I look forward to working with both of them even more closely moving forward and congratulate them on their well-deserved new roles!”
Karen Dagg said: “It’s such a privilege to be widening my role at Polydor. Over the last six years, I’ve worked with so many incredible and inspiring artists and I’m very excited for Jade and I to build upon the successes we’ve had and continue to grow our fantastic team.”
Jade Bradshaw said: “I’m looking forward to entering this new chapter alongside Karen. The team at Polydor are top tier and seeing Ben’s vision for the label come to life has been brilliant to witness - I am honoured to be a part of it.”
Click here for last month’s Polydor exclusive on the latest A&R appointments.
PHOTO: Carsten Windhorst
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