Sacem announces the appointment of Cécile Rap-Veber as CEO and David El Sayegh as Deputy CEO
Faced with the consequences of the Covid crisis and the rapid pace of change in the creative sector, the leading authors' society in France and worldwide is embarking on a new strategic phase.
The Sacem Board of Directors is making two appointments:
Cécile Rap-Veber is being named Chief Executive Officer, and David El Sayegh will become Deputy Chief Executive Officer.
Ms. Rap-Veber is the first woman to become CEO of Sacem since its creation in 1851. She succeeds Jean-Noël Tronc, who has held the position since 2012.
Cécile Rap-Veber was until now Director of Development, International and Operations and member of the Executive Committee. She has played a major role since 2013, when she joined, in Sacem's digital transformation and internationalisation. She initiated and supervised the deployment of the world's first online rights management platform, URights. She contributed to Sacem's recent growth by overseeing global partnerships with major platforms, media and internationally recognised music publishers. She, along with David El Sayegh, is also in charge of the project to create the new collective management body for press rights in France.
In a setting where the health crisis has profoundly weakened the creative world and accelerated changes in the sector, with the explosion of streaming and new content, Ms. Rap-Veber's background and expertise are a crucial asset in opening up a new strategic phase for Sacem.
Mr. El Sayegh, Deputy CEO, had previously been Secretary General since 2013, in charge of the Legal Department, Institutional Relations, Anti-Piracy and Music Services.
He has played a major role in the transformation and development of Sacem in recent years. He has been at the forefront of the battle to defend and promote the recognition of authors' rights at the French and European levels, and has made a major contribution to the development of the legislative and regulatory framework that has enabled the establishment of international partnerships with the major digital players.
The appointments of Ms. Rap-Veber and Mr. El Sayegh, whose experience and backgrounds are complementary, underscore the Board's desire to give Sacem new strategic momentum.
In this current context of unprecedented acceleration, and at a time when the next five years will be decisive for the cultural and music sectors, the renewed Board of Directors shares a common ambition: to reinvent Sacem and create the collective management of tomorrow in order to defend its model and fully seize the opportunities offered by these changes for the benefit of the rights holders it represents.
Inventing Sacem and the collective management of tomorrow means:
Patrick Sigwalt, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sacem:
"Collective management and Sacem are more essential than ever to defend the value of creation and the rights of creators. I would like to thank Jean-Noël for the work he has carried out over the past nine years with the entire management team, which has enabled Sacem to strengthen its role as the leading authors' society in France and throughout the world.
At this historic moment for the future of music and culture, we want more than ever to put authors, composers and publishers at the heart of our common house, Sacem, which belongs to them. And we want to go much faster, much farther and much more powerfully, and open a new stage in the history of Sacem! We must act rather than endure, and seize the opportunities available to us to strengthen the collective management model and promote our values of collective action, general interest and solidarity of which we are extremely proud.
The appointment of Cécile and David underscores the Board's recognition of their talent, expertise and the work they have accomplished. They have the full confidence of the Board, which is completely united behind our common ambition for Sacem and for our members."
Jean-Noël Tronc:
"I am very proud of the work we have accomplished with the executive leadership and the wonderful teams at Sacem over the past 9 years. The upheavals in the sector and the crises we have gone through together have demonstrated the fundamental role of collective management in the service of creators, our clients and all those who keep music alive. I wish Sacem every success in this new phase."
Cécile Rap-Veber, Chief Executive Officer of Sacem:
"Born into a family of creators, and having constantly defended the interests of rights holders throughout my professional career, I am honoured to continue to uphold the values of collective management in the service of a repertoire as magnificent as Sacem's.
Over the last few years, we have worked with all of our teams to develop Sacem's collections, support its technological transition, increase its transparency and extend its international influence.
This is a great asset for the future. And I am convinced that with the support of the Board of Directors, with David and the management team at my side and with the proven professionalism and expertise of our staff, we have all the cards in hand to set in motion a new dynamic to serve our members and constituents and build the Sacem of tomorrow!"
Cécile Rap-Veber
Extended Biography
David El Sayegh
Extended Biography
Cécile Rap-Veber is being named Chief Executive Officer, and David El Sayegh will become Deputy Chief Executive Officer.
Ms. Rap-Veber is the first woman to become CEO of Sacem since its creation in 1851. She succeeds Jean-Noël Tronc, who has held the position since 2012.
Cécile Rap-Veber was until now Director of Development, International and Operations and member of the Executive Committee. She has played a major role since 2013, when she joined, in Sacem's digital transformation and internationalisation. She initiated and supervised the deployment of the world's first online rights management platform, URights. She contributed to Sacem's recent growth by overseeing global partnerships with major platforms, media and internationally recognised music publishers. She, along with David El Sayegh, is also in charge of the project to create the new collective management body for press rights in France.
In a setting where the health crisis has profoundly weakened the creative world and accelerated changes in the sector, with the explosion of streaming and new content, Ms. Rap-Veber's background and expertise are a crucial asset in opening up a new strategic phase for Sacem.
Mr. El Sayegh, Deputy CEO, had previously been Secretary General since 2013, in charge of the Legal Department, Institutional Relations, Anti-Piracy and Music Services.
He has played a major role in the transformation and development of Sacem in recent years. He has been at the forefront of the battle to defend and promote the recognition of authors' rights at the French and European levels, and has made a major contribution to the development of the legislative and regulatory framework that has enabled the establishment of international partnerships with the major digital players.
The appointments of Ms. Rap-Veber and Mr. El Sayegh, whose experience and backgrounds are complementary, underscore the Board's desire to give Sacem new strategic momentum.
In this current context of unprecedented acceleration, and at a time when the next five years will be decisive for the cultural and music sectors, the renewed Board of Directors shares a common ambition: to reinvent Sacem and create the collective management of tomorrow in order to defend its model and fully seize the opportunities offered by these changes for the benefit of the rights holders it represents.
Inventing Sacem and the collective management of tomorrow means:
- getting closer to members, providing them with an unparalleled level of service and increasingly personalised benefits
- embracing technology, becoming one of the world's pioneers in data management, collection and distribution
- becoming more international by positioning Sacem as the preferred partner for major platforms and other players in the digital world
- being more proactive by continuing to open up new territories for development and finding new sources for authors' rights
- providing even more support, remaining faithful to its social and collective commitment through aid for vulnerable creators.
Patrick Sigwalt, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sacem:
"Collective management and Sacem are more essential than ever to defend the value of creation and the rights of creators. I would like to thank Jean-Noël for the work he has carried out over the past nine years with the entire management team, which has enabled Sacem to strengthen its role as the leading authors' society in France and throughout the world.
At this historic moment for the future of music and culture, we want more than ever to put authors, composers and publishers at the heart of our common house, Sacem, which belongs to them. And we want to go much faster, much farther and much more powerfully, and open a new stage in the history of Sacem! We must act rather than endure, and seize the opportunities available to us to strengthen the collective management model and promote our values of collective action, general interest and solidarity of which we are extremely proud.
The appointment of Cécile and David underscores the Board's recognition of their talent, expertise and the work they have accomplished. They have the full confidence of the Board, which is completely united behind our common ambition for Sacem and for our members."
Jean-Noël Tronc:
"I am very proud of the work we have accomplished with the executive leadership and the wonderful teams at Sacem over the past 9 years. The upheavals in the sector and the crises we have gone through together have demonstrated the fundamental role of collective management in the service of creators, our clients and all those who keep music alive. I wish Sacem every success in this new phase."
Cécile Rap-Veber, Chief Executive Officer of Sacem:
"Born into a family of creators, and having constantly defended the interests of rights holders throughout my professional career, I am honoured to continue to uphold the values of collective management in the service of a repertoire as magnificent as Sacem's.
Over the last few years, we have worked with all of our teams to develop Sacem's collections, support its technological transition, increase its transparency and extend its international influence.
This is a great asset for the future. And I am convinced that with the support of the Board of Directors, with David and the management team at my side and with the proven professionalism and expertise of our staff, we have all the cards in hand to set in motion a new dynamic to serve our members and constituents and build the Sacem of tomorrow!"
Cécile Rap-Veber
Extended Biography
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Cécile Rap-Veber holds a master's degree in contract law and private international law and a certificate of aptitude for the legal profession (Capa) from the Paris Bar. A lawyer at the Paris Court of Appeals, she joined Universal Music France in 2000, where she was Director of Legal & Business Affairs, then Director of Universal Music Consulting & Content (UMCC) until 2013. She joined Sacem in 2013 as Director of Licensing and a member of the Executive Committee. In 2016, her responsibilities were extended to International, in 2019 to Operations and in 2020 to Development. In these various roles, she was in charge of negotiation and collections relating to media, phonographic and videographic formats, digital exploitation, private copying and international. She oversaw the management of Sacem's repertoire and the distribution of the royalties collected for the exploitation of works in Sacem's repertoire in France and abroad. She was also responsible for the development and management of online mandates entrusted to Sacem by British and American publishers — including UMPG, Wixen, Warner Chappell, Impel, Wise Music — and initiated and supervised the deployment of the global digital data processing and BI platform known as URights. Cécile Rap-Veber is also Secretary General of the Society for the Administration of Mechanical Reproduction Rights (SDRM). She is Vice-President of the Board of Directors of Copie France and a member of the Executive Committee of the Bureau International de l’Édition Mécanique (Biem), the international organisation representing mechanical rights societies. |
Extended Biography
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David El Sayegh is a lawyer by training, specialised in intellectual property law. He previously worked at Soulié & Coste-Floret for five years, before joining Sacem for six years in the Internet, Media and Reproduction Rights Department. In 2007, he joined the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (Snep) as Director of Legal Affairs and New Technologies and became its CEO from 2009 to 2013. In 2013, he became Secretary General of Sacem. He took charge of the legal department, the institutional relations department, the fight against piracy and music services. In this position, he actively participated in the implementation of the EU Copyright Directive adopted on April 17, 2019. In parallel to his functions as Secretary General of Sacem, David El Sayegh is President of the Public Affairs Committee (GPC) within Cisac, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, and a member of the Board of Directors of Copie France. He is also a member of Afpida and Alai, a representative on the Commission of Article L. 311-5 of the CPI for the remuneration of private copying, a member of the Conseil Supérieur de la Propriété Littéraire et Artistique (CSPLA) and Director of the Revue Internationale du Droit d’Auteur (RIDA). |