Universal Music appoints Hannah Poferl as chief data officer

Hilversum: Universal Music Group has tapped Hannah Poferl as chief data officer, sharpening its push to weaponise data and artificial intelligence in the global music race.

Poferl joins after more than a decade at the New York Times, where she served as chief data officer from 2021. She will report to operating chief Boyd Muir and take up the role with immediate effect.

The appointment underlines how streaming numbers, fan analytics and social media signals are now central to how labels break artists and monetise fandom. Data, once backstage, is fast becoming the main act.

Poferl said Universal’s “ambitious and thoughtful” approach to innovation, including AI, matched her own focus on creativity-led technology.

Her arrival comes as Universal accelerates its tech playbook. Earlier this month, the world’s largest music label partnered with Nvidia to tap its AI infrastructure and train models for personalised music discovery.

The group is also testing new frontiers. In November, Bloomberg reported that Universal, Sony Music and Warner Music licensed their catalogues to Klay, an AI-powered streaming start-up that allows users to remake songs.

In an industry where algorithms now shape taste and timing, Universal is making clear it wants to own the data, and the future beat.