Guy Moot, Chair and CEO of Warner Chappell Music (WCM), has received the UK’s Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS).
The award was presented to Moot by Mark Ronson at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Monday (November 9).
According to a MITS press release, Moot is the first music publisher to receive the accolade.
Moot was named as this year’s MITS recipient in May.
This year’s event, the award’s 34th edition, was held in support of two UK music charities: The BRIT Trust, a core funder of The BRIT School, and music therapy charity Nordoff and Robbins.
“To be the first music publisher to receive the MITS is an enormous honour, but this award isn’t really about me,” said Moot on the night. “It belongs to the songwriters I have the privilege of working with every day, to my brilliant colleagues, and to my family, who are with me every step of the way.
“Everything we do begins with a song, and none of it exists without the people who write them. Nordoff and Robbins and The BRIT School remind us what music can do: it heals, it connects, and it changes lives.
“Great music can come from anywhere, and it’s on all of us to keep the door open for the next generation.”
“To be the first music publisher to receive the MITS is an enormous honour, but this award isn’t really about me. It belongs to the songwriters I have the privilege of working with every day, to my brilliant colleagues, and to my family, who are with me every step of the way.”
Guy Moot
Presenting the award, Ronson recalled how Moot had introduced him to Amy Winehouse, before he and Winehouse went on to create Back to Black.
“You sent a generational talent and one of your prize pupils to the studio of some unproven producer that you had a little faith in, so thank you,” said Ronson.
The ceremony, hosted by Doc Brown, opened with a performance from Irish group Florence Road, who played Rabbits Can Swim and Hanging Out to Dry.
Songwriters Amy Allen and John Ryan followed with So Easy (To Fall In Love), the Olivia Dean track they co-wrote.
During a live auction, a guitar signed by a group of country artists sold for £10,000 after Jimmy Page added his signature on the night.
Tribute videos featured messages from Arsène Wenger, Benson Boone, Ian Wright, James Blunt, Jon Platt, Laufey, Lizzo, Max Lousada, MOLIY, Robert Kyncl, Salaam Remi, Sam Smith, Shani Gonzales, Stargate, and Val Blavatnik.
Tinie Tempah closed the night with a medley including Written in the Stars, Miami 2 Ibiza, and Pass Out.
Guests at the ceremony included Jimmy Page, Sonique, Louise Redknapp, Celeste, CKTRL, and Liam Fray of Courteeners.
In an interview with MBW published on Friday (November 6), Moot was asked what the award says about where publishing now sits in the music business.
“I remember one label executive saying to me around 30 years ago that publishers were the ‘leeches on the record company’s back.’ We’re [far past] that – we’re now clearly the sexy part of the business!” said Moot.
Moot began his career working in record shops, before moving into A&R roles at ATV Music and Chrysalis Records in 1984.
He joined SBK Music Publishing in 1987, ahead of its merger with EMI Music Publishing.
At EMI, he was appointed EVP of A&R for the UK and Europe in 2003, and became UK Managing Director and President of European Creative in 2005.
According to the MITS announcement, artists he signed and worked with during that period included Amy Winehouse, Arctic Monkeys, Calvin Harris, Lana Del Rey, and Mark Ronson.
In 2012, he took on responsibility for leading the Sony/ATV and EMI Music Publishing merger across Europe.
He was named President of Worldwide Creative at Sony/ATV, now Sony Music Publishing, in 2017, overseeing signings including Ed Sheeran, Drake, and Sam Smith.
Moot joined Warner Chappell as Co-Chair and CEO in April 2019, alongside Co-Chair and COO Carianne Marshall.
According to the MITS announcement, the company has “doubled the size of the business, consistently outperforming market growth” under Moot and Marshall.
Warner Chappell‘s quarterly revenues rose 10.9% YoY at constant currency to $377 million in calendar Q2 2026, according to the most recent quarterly results from parent company Warner Music Group (WMG).
Since 2019, WCM has signed or retained artists including Dua Lipa, Zach Bryan, Laufey, RAYE, and ROSÉ, as well as catalogs from David Bowie, George Michael, Madonna, Quincy Jones, and Tom Petty.
In September, WMG announced that Marshall would exit WCM, with Moot becoming the company’s sole Chair effective October 1.
Ahead of the ceremony, Moot visited The BRIT School in Croydon to meet students, and also visited Nordoff and Robbins.
The BRIT Trust, which was set up by UK record labels and the BPI in 1989, says it has distributed more than £30 million in grants to date.
Previous MITS recipients include Annie Lennox, Kylie Minogue, Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Sir Lucian Grainge, Rob Stringer, and last year’s recipient, Global founder Ashley Tabor-King.
The MITS Award is sponsored by Legends Global, PPL, SJM Concerts, and YouTube.Music Business Worldwide