Hannah Thompson-Waitt Promoted to Senior Vice President of Commercial Strategy at Virgin Music Group

(LOS ANGELES, CA   April 24, 2025)  Virgin Music Group, the world’s leading partner to independent artists, labels and entrepreneurs, announced today the promotion of Hannah Thompson-Waitt to Senior Vice President of Commercial Strategy at the company. In her new role, Thompson-Waitt will lead the US Commercial team, overseeing the formulation and execution of streaming strategy, release analysis, and fan acquisition strategy for a diverse roster of clients.  

“Hannah has an incredible ability to communicate and connect with our diverse group of label and artist partners,” said Zack Gershen, Executive Vice President, Global Commercial & Digital Strategy at the company. “She has been key in delivering innovative commercial strategies and we look forward to her making even greater contributions in this new role.” 

“I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and for the trust that Zack Gershen and the Virgin Music Group team has placed in me, and feel lucky to have gotten to learn and grow under the tutelage of Nat, JT, Zack, Jeremy, and Jacqueline over the years,” said Thompson-Waitt. “It’s been an honor to work with such a talented roster of artists and partners, and I’m excited to lead our exceptional commercial team in the US as we continue to break new ground in connecting artists with fans in innovative and meaningful ways.” 

Thompson-Waitt most recently served as Vice President of Commercial Strategy at Virgin Music Group. Prior to joining Virgin, she held the position of Vice President of Digital Marketing at mtheory, the company founded by Virgin Music Group co-CEOs J.T. Myers and Nat Pastor, which was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2022. She joined mtheory in 2017 as a marketing associate, working her way up through the company’s ranks. Her career began in 2014 when she launched her own K-pop media company while still in graduate school. She later moved to Seoul, where she learned to speak Korean fluently and provided English-language resources (lyric translations, breaking news, etc.) and editorial content to global K-pop fans eager to learn more about their favorite artists. 

Since joining Virgin, Thompson-Waitt has worked on such successful artist projects as Clairo, whose Charm album debuted at Number 8 on the Billboard top 200, St. Vincent, whose album All Born Screaming received 3 GRAMMY Awards this year, Amyl and the Sniffers, David Kushner, Tom Odell and Tove Lo’s recent collaboration with SG Lewis.  

Beyond her work at Virgin, Thompson-Waitt serves on the advisory board of Queer Capita, a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to the development and visibility of LGBTQ+ professionals in the music industry. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and Global  Studies from The University of Texas and a Master’s Degree in Music Business from New York University, where she wrote an award-winning dissertation on “How Kpop Idols and Their Fandoms are Driving Hyper Consumption in Korea, and Why American Artists Should be Taking Notes.” 

She will be relocating to Virgin Music Group’s Los Angeles headquarters following a successful tenure in New York City. 

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About Virgin Music Group 

Virgin Music Group is the world’s leading partner to independent music companies and artists who require a standalone team with global infrastructure and local expertise in every major music market around the world. Virgin Music Group offers compelling, efficient, and highly flexible global solutions with the most advanced marketing technology available for independent record labels, artists, and entrepreneurs who want to succeed. www.virginmusic.com