Alison Donald, global head of creative at Kobalt, has announced that she will be leaving the company at the end of this month to “pursue other ventures.”
According to Kobalt, during her seven-year tenure at the company, the executive has been a “key driver of culture” within the company, signing Sam Fender, Cigarettes After Sex, Koffee, Gabriels, Jungle, Khruangbin, Rage Against Talents such as “The Machine,” “The Last Supper” and Tom O’Dell.
Donald joined Kobalt in 2017 and is responsible for A&R and creative work in the UK and Europe for Kobalt Music Publishing and AWAL’s UK and European creative teams.
Donald was promoted to global head of creative just over a year ago, splitting her time between London and Los Angeles.
Donald joins Kobalt from Columbia Records UK, where she served as co-president.
At Columbia, Donald signed and worked closely with the likes of George Ezra, Tom Odell, Rag’N’Bone Man, Declan McKenna, and the Civil War Band.
Prior to joining Columbia in 2011, Donald served as Managing Director of Chrysalis Music Publishing (2000-2010).
She has signed and overseen projects for bands including Damon Albarn, Danger Mouse, The Gossip, Fleet Foxes, Laura Marling, Thom Yorke and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Donald also served as Head of A&R for Warner/Chappell Music (1996-2000), where she signed The Strokes, Gomez and Gregg Alexander.
Prior to that, Donald worked at Capitol/EMI Records for seven years. She began her career over thirty years ago at Arista Records.
“Working with the Kobalt team and all the incredible artists and writers on the roster has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished.”
Alison Donald
“Working with the Kobalt team and all the incredible artists and writers on the roster has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished,” said Donald.
“I’m sad to be leaving two of my friends in Kobalt and our great roster, but I’m looking forward to the next chapter.”
“Alison’s passion for creativity and music is always felt throughout the organization and inspires our team every day.”
Janet Perez, Corbat
“Alison’s passion for creativity and music is felt throughout the organization and inspires our team every day,” said Jeannette Perez, president of Kobalt.
“Her obvious energy and enthusiasm will be missed by everyone at Kobalt. We wish her the best as she embarks on the next phase of her journey.”
Donald was promoted to global head of creative in March 2023, just months after former Kobalt chief creative officer Sas Metcalfe announced he was leaving the company. British senior executive Sas Metcalfe became chief creative officer (CCO) in 2017.global music business
