Ed St John relinquishes role as ARIA Chairman

07 September 2010

In breaking news, ARIA have just released the following statement regarding Chairman Ed St John, who announced yesterday he was stepping down as Warner Music's CEO/President.

"The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has today announced that Mr Ed St John will relinquish his role as Chairman with immediate effect following his decision to step down as President and CEO of Warner Music Australia.

Mr St John has served the ARIA Board tirelessly over the past ten years. In particular, his dedication and passion for the role of Chair of ARIA Music Awards/Hall Of Fame (a position in which he has served continuously since 2002) has seen the ARIA Awards continue to grow and consolidate to become the single most important and prestigious event on the Australian music calendar. Significantly, the ARIA Awards have continued to set the benchmark for achievement in Australian popular music. The ARIA Hall Of Fame has developed in recent years to become an important stand alone event which has honoured some of the most famous names in Australian music, ensuring that the legacy of our finest artists lives on.

Ed St John said today, “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank ARIA’s CEO, Stephen Peach, and my fellow Board members for their tremendous support during my time on the ARIA Board and as Chair. I am very proud of what we achieved in this time, particularly the increase in stature of both the ARIA Awards and Hall Of Fame. Our mandate has always been to advance our artists and industry rights to achieve a healthy industry that provides Australian music fans with exciting music entertainment and it’s a challenge we have continued to meet. It’s time now to hand over the reins.”

Mr Stephen Peach, ARIA CEO, expressed his gratitude to Mr St John, saying “I am very fortunate to have worked with Ed and, together with the ARIA Board, we’ve been able to achieve substantial goals over his time on the Board. His very significant contribution to this achievement, particularly as the board member overseeing the ARIA Awards and ARIA Hall Of Fame, has without doubt enhanced the standing of these events both in the industry and the broader community. On behalf of the ARIA Board, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Ed for his efforts and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

The ARIA Board is set to meet in the near future to elect a new Chairman."