LOS ANGELES, CA - Universal Music Publishing Group has appointed Luke McGrellis to the position of Vice President Creative reporting to Jody Gerson, UMPG Chairman and CEO, and Evan Lamberg, UMPG President – North America.

As a hit-driven creative executive with a track record of identifying tomorrow’s future stars, McGrellis joins UMPG from Sony/ATV UK where he held the title of A&R Director and signed multi-platinum artists and songwriters such as Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith (a co-signing), as well as emerging UK acts Pretty Vicious and Rhodes. For the new position McGrellis has relocated from London to his new base at UMPG’s global headquarters in Los Angeles, where he’ll be working closely with creative teams to sign and develop talent and bolster cross border creative opportunities for UMPG songwriters.

In making the announcement, Gerson said: "Luke McGrellis is a dynamic creative executive with a proven track record, great instincts and a real passion for helping artists and writers build successful global careers. I’m absolutely thrilled he has joined our team to create even more opportunities around the world for our writers.”

"It's a real privilege to have Luke McGrellis join our creative team here in the U.S. I consider him one of the best song men around and a major champion of songwriters,” said Lamberg.

McGrellis said: “First and foremost Jody is fantastic, so the chance to come and work directly with her and her creatively driven leadership, at an already great company like Universal, was really a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I’ve always looked up to the U.S. industry, and the music it produces, so now I get to live and breathe it!”

McGrellis joined Sony/ATV UK in 2007 as part of the company’s acquisition of Famous Music, where as Creative Director he headed the company’s UK office and signed multi-platinum selling band The Kooks, among many others.