HYBE has appointed Jenni Pfaff as Chief People and Transformation Officer, a newly created global role at the South Korea-headquartered entertainment company.
The appointment promotes Pfaff from HYBE AMERICA, the company’s US division, where she has been Chief People and Transformation Officer since August 2025.
She will report to HYBE CEO Jason Jaesang Lee and remain based in Los Angeles, the company said on Tuesday (July 28).
In the role, Pfaff will help HYBE build the capabilities to develop and execute organizational and talent strategies aligned with the company’s global business direction.
“I’m honored to step into this global role as HYBE enters its next chapter of growth,” said Pfaff.
“My priority is to build a globally connected people strategy that supports that creative independence while bringing our teams together around a shared culture of trust, transparency, and a real commitment to living our core values.”
Jenni Pfaff, HYBE
“What makes HYBE so special is the incredible talent across our multi-label ecosystem, pushing the envelope on innovation each day. My priority is to build a globally connected people strategy that supports that creative independence while bringing our teams together around a shared culture of trust, transparency, and a real commitment to living our core values.”
At HYBE AMERICA, Pfaff oversaw human resources functions including recruiting, training and development, employee relations, performance management, and organizational design, and led internal corporate communications.
She helped recruit senior leaders including Ethiopia Habtemariam, Jake Basden, Gene Whitney, and Johanna Fuentes, HYBE AMERICA said.
“I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing Jenni‘s vision and steadfast leadership,” said HYBE AMERICA Chairman and CEO Isaac Lee.
“She has been a constant champion of empowering our individual team members to bring new ideas, perspectives and collaboration to the forefront for the betterment of our company. Our organization is stronger because of her contributions, and I’m thrilled to see her dedication rewarded with this appointment.”
“Our organization is stronger because of her contributions, and I’m thrilled to see her dedication rewarded with this appointment.”
Isaac Lee, HYBE America
Before HYBE, Pfaff served as Executive Vice President of Strategy, Integration, and Operations at Warner Chappell Music, the publishing arm of Warner Music Group, which elevated her to that role in 2024.
At Warner Chappell, she oversaw global strategy, an automation and growth team, and the company’s Business Intelligence division, and worked with Warner Music‘s technology department on its technology portfolio.
Earlier, Pfaff held roles at PwC, Activision Blizzard, and Northrop Grumman, and founded Pfaff HR in 2018.
She is a certified executive coach and holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology, and a certificate in Strategy Execution from Harvard Business School Online.
Pfaff was named one of Billboard‘s Women in Music Top Executives in 2022.
Pfaff‘s elevation follows a run of senior appointments at HYBE AMERICA over the past year under Chairman and CEO Isaac Lee.
The US division named former Motown Records chief Ethiopia Habtemariam as its President of Music in January, alongside Johanna Fuentes as EVP and Head of Communications and Public Relations.
It also appointed Gene Whitney, formerly of Riot Games, as General Counsel in January.
In February, HYBE AMERICA rebranded its Nashville label, formerly Big Machine Label Group, as Blue Highway Records.
Jake Basden was named CEO of the label.
Isaac Lee took over the US business from Scooter Braun in July 2025, in addition to his existing role as Chairman of HYBE Latin America, giving the exec broader oversight of the Americas for the entertainment giant.
HYBE AMERICA is a subsidiary of HYBE Corp., which operates a multi-label model spanning South Korea, Japan, the US, and Latin America.
Under CEO Jason Jaesang Lee, HYBE is pursuing a strategy it calls HYBE 2.0, shifting from a “label-solution-platform” structure to a “music-platform-tech” structure.
The company has expanded in the US, Latin America, and Africa, acquiring local labels and building acts such as KATSEYE, formed with Universal Music Group‘s Geffen Records.
HYBE‘s “growth philosophy is clear: to create top-tier IP, lead the fandom business, and expand those results into new markets and genres,” Lee said in a January address to staff.
Lee has said 2026 will be the year HYBE aims to turn its expansion investments into profit.Music Business Worldwide
