Cindy Mabe Appointment Chair and CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville-MBW

Universal Music Group has appointed widely respected executive Cindy Mabe as Chair and CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville (UMGN), effective April 1, 2023.

Mabe will succeed Mike Dungan, who announced his intention to retire from his position at UMGN after more than a decade there and a total of four decades in the music industry.

UMG says that “Mabe has blazed a trail throughout her career”, and became Nashville’s highest-ranking woman label executive in 2014, when she was appointed as UMGN President.

UMG notes that Mabe’s promotion sees her become the first woman to serve as Chair and CEO of a Nashville-based major label group.

During her tenure at UMG, Mabe has worked with country music stars including Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Jordan Davis, Mickey Guyton, Sam Hunt, Alan Jackson, Parker McCollum, Reba McEntire, Kacey Musgraves, Jon Pardi, Chris Stapleton, George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Brothers Osborne and Little Big Town, among others.

Mabe joined UMGN in 2012 as Senior Vice President, Marketing, responsible for leading marketing across Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville, and Mercury Nashville and UMG’s expanded suite of country labels following its acquisition of EMI.

Prior to that, Mabe spent five years at Capitol Records Nashville, where she held the position of SVP, Marketing.

She began her music career as promotions coordinator at RCA Nashville, before shifting to sales and then artist marketing and Development, during which time she worked with artists including Clint Black, Martina McBride, and Alabama.

She later served as Senior Director, Marketing and Artist Development at Arista Records Nashville from 1999-2007 working with the likes of Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Brooks & Dunn, and Diamond Rio before joining Capitol Records Nashville in 2007.