Liz Northeast

With a prolific career in the music business spanning over 20 years, Liz Northeast is currently the SVP, EMEA for leading B2B music distributor, FUGA – owned by Downtown Music Holdings.

Northeast has fiercely championed the independent sector since her career began, curating a legacy shaped around her core principles of community, mentorship and advocacy for mental health and wellness. Liz’s passion for community initiatives began at the start of her career when she was active within Australia’s community radio scene. Volunteering at fundraising events for renowned stations across the country, Liz moved into PR, radio and TV with Australian indie label and distributor, Creative Vibes; where she played a pivotal role in developing Gotye throughout the early stages of his career.

Going on to spend an over 8 year tenure with The Orchard, which saw her driving the company’s international label expansion and the development of training programmes for staff, Northeast was the brainpower behind The Orchard’s EU Summit, an annual event bringing the EU community of The Orchard together each year, an activation which remains in place to this day.

Her VP role at AWAL saw Liz lead the UK Artist and Label Development team, a position that redefined, reshaped and upskilled the local and global teams as a whole. Whilst there, she supported the rollout of a meditation and yoga programme, as well as being involved in company-wide wellbeing days for staff.

Joining FUGA as Client Relations Director during lockdown in 2021, Liz was quickly promoted within a year to become General Manager, UK where she has been fundamental to FUGA’s meteoric growth of UK staff. Now FUGA’s SVP of EMEA, her years of experience championing the independent sector sees her overseeing FUGA’s eclectic roster of label talent across the full EMEA region, including Beggars Group, YEAR0001, Marathon Music Group, ATC Management (The Hives) and One Little Independent, as well as being the company’s main voice with partners such as AIM and AFEM.

Inducted into the 2023 Women in Music Roll of Honor list and recognized by shesaid.so in their 2022 Alternative Power List, Northeast’s expertise has led to panel talks and moderations for the likes of Big Sound, Reeperbahn, BMC, IMS and AIM Connected.