Former eBay executive Richelle Parham enters the music industry with Universal Music Group, where she will advance the company’s direct-to-consumer strategy.
As UMG's president of global e-commerce & business development, Parham will oversee the music major’s global e-commerce strategy and business development across its labels, music publishing, operating units and territories, with effect from June 2.
In this newly-created position, Parham is based in Santa Monica and will report to UMG chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge. “We are very pleased to have Richelle join our stellar leadership team, where she will play a key role in advancing our global strategy,” Grainge comments. “Richelle’s proven leadership and expertise in consumer marketing, audience growth, business development and direct-to-consumer initiatives will be a valuable resource for our artists and drive our vision of a holistic fan-centric program that complements our partner platforms.”
Parham’s appointment is considered significant in several ways. As the ex-CMO of eBay, she has a deep knowledge of the platforms and methods that are facilitating online sales. In recent years, she has worked with private equity firms investing in e-commerce start-ups.
Parham joins UMG from WestRiver Group, where she was managing director, leading investments in the consumer experience economy, and she has served on the board of Best Buy, e.l.f. Beauty, LabCorp and, until recently, Scripps Network Interactive.
UMG possesses "an incredibly talented leadership team, a global footprint, iconic labels and publishing company, as well as other music businesses," she explains in a statement. "Together these elements form an unparalleled opportunity for a consumer-demand-driven e-commerce business that goes far beyond traditional distribution channels to create important revenue streams, while forging meaningful and impactful bonds between artists and fans."
Parham has spoken extensively about the importance of diversity for business and has been honored for her executive talents in such titles as Black Enterprise, Fast Company, Forbes and elsewhere.
Suki Waterhouse has spoken candidly about how she found herself crying constantly after the birth of her daughter.
The singer and actress reflected on her experience as a mother more than two years after she and her partner, actor Robert Pattinson, welcomed their baby girl in March 2024.
During an interview with The Standard published on Thursday, Suki explained that motherhood has completely shifted her outlook on life.
"I think it's made me marvel at our humanness. It's so funny, even just your kid getting a fever, watching a little body recover from that, it's brought me down to what it is to be alive and I really love that," she said. "It feels very survivalist and medieval in a way, especially birth, birth is medieval."
The Daisy Jones & The Six actress, 34, shared that she was caught off guard by just how exposed and emotional she felt after giving birth to her daughter.
"I'm almost two and a half years in now, but when she was first born, I remember thinking that I can't believe everybody does this and I can't believe how vulnerable I feel," she told the publication. "I was crying all the time."
Suki continued, "It makes me cry now thinking about it. It was just... shocking."
The Notting Hill singer also admitted that she has never considered herself someone who cries easily, making those emotions all the more surprising.
"It's so f**king weird! I'm not a cryer! I'm so not an emotional person, I'm such a Capricorn. But being a mum just fed me up in such a sweet way," she stated. "It just absolutely broke open my heart, and I'm just madly in love and, despite my crying right now, I enjoy it so much and I'm so taken by my daughter and so in love with doing it with my partner and I just feel the preciousness of it very much."
Suki and Twilight actor Robert, 40, have been in a relationship since 2018 and announced they were expecting their first child together toward the end of 2023.
The pair have largely kept their romance away from the spotlight and have yet to publicly share the name of their daughter.
