11 Feb 2019

Suzanne Smith steps down from PPL PRS Ltd

Christine Geissmar, Chief Operating Officer at PPL, steps in as interim Managing Director

PPL and PRS for Music have announced that Suzanne Smith, Managing Director of their public performance joint venture PPL PRS Ltd., has decided to step down from the business. Suzanne joined the company in April 2017, overseeing its initial launch in Leicester, the creation of TheMusicLicence, which represents both companies’ rights for public performance, and the successful launch of the business in February 2018.

Suzanne, with her drive and energy, has been invaluable in building the foundations of PPL PRS Ltd over the last two years. We are grateful to her for the commitment and dedication she has shown to this initiative to simplify access to the licences businesses need when they play or perform music and wish her every success in the future.

We are indebted to Suzanne for her leadership both before and after the launch of the business and look forward to building on the foundations she has created, to communicating the value that music brings to businesses and to growing the royalty revenues on which our respective memberships depend.

Christine Geissmar, Chief Operating Officer at PPL, has stepped in as interim Managing Director to lead the business until a new Managing Director is appointed.

About PRS for Music

PRS for Music represents the rights of songwriters, composers and music publishers in the UK and around the world. As a membership organisation it works to ensure that creators are paid whenever their musical compositions and songs are streamed, downloaded, broadcast, performed and played in public. In 2019, 18.8 trillion performances of music were reported to PRS for Music with £810.8m collected on behalf of its members, making it one of the world’s leading music collective management organisations.

PRS for Music’s public performance licensing is carried out on PRS for Music’s behalf by PPL PRS Ltd, the joint venture between PPL and PRS for Music.