HMV appoints new commercial director and head of marketing
Commercial director David Athey has been with the business for 35 years while head of marketing Kate Longbottom joined in 2022
HMV has appointed David Athey to the new role of commercial director and Kate Longbottom as the new head of marketing.
The two new roles have been created as Patrizia Leighton, HMV’s marketing and commercial director, has decided to leave the business after a 12-year career at the retailer.
Athey is a HMV veteran and has been with the business for 35 years, having started as a sales assistant before moving through senior positions within the film and TV branch of the business. He most recently held the position of head of music and technology.
He takes the new role with oversight of all commercial aspects of HMV’s business including the development of its European offer, building on its supplier relationships and maintaining hmv’s position as a leader on the high street.
Commenting on the appointment, Athey said: “We have a strong position in the market today, a more developed offer to our customers than ever before and bold plans to continue to innovate for our pop-culture fan audience. I’m looking forward to making sure that hmv remains a place where fans of music, film and culture can congregate and find like-minded communities across our estate.”
Meanwhile, Longbottom will take on oversight for all of the brand’s marketing activities – across the store estate as well as across advertising, marketing and PR. She will also head marketing for HMV’s online business.
She joined the business in 2022 having previously worked with Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and Virgin Megastores.
Longbottom said: “We have plans to continue our growth building on the legacy that Patrizia has left us across not only our store estate but also across our online proposition. In our stores customers can look forward to more from our Live and Local programme for new artists, more appearances in-stores from big names and more community events for fans. At the same time we will continue to invest in our ecommerce offer which has grown consistently in recent years.”
Phil Halliday, HMV’s managing director, added: “We’re thrilled to announce the promotion of David from head of music and technology to commercial director and Kate as our head of marketing. David has been with us for over 30 years now and holds a deep understanding of the business as well as vast experience and expertise across music, film, and TV, which we will lean heavily on as we look to continue the businesses growth and expansion.
“Kate has been a longstanding member of the team and will be an outstanding marketing lead. With a focus on building our brand across the UK and in our nascent markets of Ireland and Belgium. She will also put renewed focus on bringing consumers into our local stores as well as driving our ecommerce offer.”
