Press Release: GESAC’s annual General Meeting

Brussels, 5 May 2022 – GESAC’s statutory General Meeting that was held today via video conference announced the results of the election of its President and new Board for a two years term.

See below for the rest of the press release.

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GESAC annual General Meeting elected its President and Board

 

Brussels, 5 May 2022 – GESAC’s statutory General Meeting that was held today via video conference announced the results of the election of its President and new Board for a two years term.

Mr Gernot Graninger, CEO of Austrian authors’ societies AKM and Austro-Mechana, who served as Interim President of GESAC since November 2021, has been elected as the President. Three Vice-Presidents, Victor Finn, CEO of Irish authors’ society IMRO, András Szinger, CEO of Hungarian authors’ society Artisjus, and Harald Heker, CEO of German authors’ society GEMA were also re-elected for another term.

The other elected Board members are: Laura Baškevičienė, CEO of LATGA (Lithuania), Gaetano Blandini, Director General of SIAE (Italy), David El Sayegh, Deputy CEO of SACEM (France), José Jorge Letria, President and CEO of SPA (Portugal) and Risto Salminen, CEO of TEOSTO (Finland).

Mr. Graninger said: “I am grateful for the trust GESAC members have placed in me and the Board members. I will continue to work together with the Vice-Presidents and the Board members on the common interests of author’s societies over the next two years. We are at a critical juncture because the sector’s recovery is only getting started, while the economical imbalances in the market deprive the authors from fully reaping the benefits of the exponentially growing digital economy.“

Véronique Desbrosses, General Manager of GESAC said: “I look forward to working with Gernot and the new Board of the GESAC that will lead on the policy priorities set by our membership and the grouping’s strategic perspective over the next two years. The recent crisis we faced have proven once again the role and usefulness of collective management as a necessary and resilient model and as a pillar of European copyright policy”.

The General Meeting also approved GESAC activity report and financial accounts for 2021 and discussed on the grouping’s priority issues. Moreover, the meeting allowed for fruitful exchange with MEP Sabine Verheyen, the Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education, who shared her vision on Parliament’s work regarding rebalancing digital market and ensuring appropriate remuneration of creators, and with Ms Helienne Lindvall, the President of European Composers and Songwriters Alliance, on the current difficulties faced by the composers in the VOD and music streaming markets.