Lucian Grainge

Sir Lucian Charles Grainge CBE (born 29 February 1960) is the chairman and chief executive officer of Universal Music Group. Grainge has worked in the music business for his entire career. Billboard magazine named Grainge as the most powerful person in the music business on four occasions in the 2010s, and the first-ever Executive of the Decade.
Grainge grew up in North London. He was raised Jewish. Grainge left Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School for Boys at the age of 18, and began working as a runner at MPC, a talent scout company in 1978. After contacting several record label bosses, he was offered a job by Maurice Oberstein, chairman of CBS Records, working at publishing company April Music's A&R department. His first signing was The Psychedelic Furs. In 1982, he became the director of RCA Music Publishing. Two years later he became an A&R director for MCA Records. He set up PolyGram M…