New hires target partnerships, revenue and integration
Vinyl Group named Lucie Caswell chief business strategy officer and Kurt Burnette interim chief commercial officer on 20 July 2026. The ASX-listed company made the appointments as it integrates recent acquisitions and expands its media and music technology portfolio.
Melbourne-based Vinyl Group operates across media, music, technology, commerce and creator platforms. The two roles strengthen leadership in global partnerships, commercial strategy and revenue execution.
Caswell takes a newly created role focused on global publisher and partner relationships. She will also support group business development and M&A opportunities across international markets.
Her experience covers music rights, digital entertainment, licensing, policy, public affairs and global content partnerships. Before joining Vinyl Group, she held senior roles at ERA, Songtradr, Bandcamp, 7digital, the Music Publishers Association and the Featured Artists Coalition.
Meanwhile, Burnette joins with more than 30 years of experience in media, sales, digital, sport, major events and commercial leadership. At Seven West Media, he served as chief revenue officer and led a national sales team of more than 450 people.
That team delivered more than $1.2 billion in annual advertising revenue. At Vinyl Group, Burnette will oversee commercial strategy across advertising, branded content, partnerships and platform revenue.
He will also guide a unified go-to-market plan for Vinyl Media, deepen agency and advertiser relationships, refine digital advertising and branded content pricing, and build sales capability across the business.
Josh Simons, chief executive of Vinyl Group, said the appointments add strategic and commercial depth as the company scales and absorbs new assets.
Val Morgan and Time Out deals
The leadership changes follow recent expansion moves. Vinyl Group signed a franchise agreement with Time Out Australia and added brands from the Val Morgan Digital transaction, including LADbible Group, BuzzFeed and Vox Media.
Burnette’s brief includes commercial integration work tied to recently acquired assets, including Pedestrian Group. As a result, his role connects revenue planning with the wider integration of Vinyl Group’s growing media assets.
Caswell’s role leans toward partnerships and growth. She will help represent publishing and platform partnerships across key international markets and strategic opportunities.
These appointments follow other leadership changes announced on 14 April 2026. On that date, Jono Oake joined as chief operating officer, Michael Globan became chief financial officer, and Jorge Nigaglioni took the chief integration officer role.
