Warner Music Australasia president Niko Nordström is returning to his homeland, Finland, to take on a familiar role with the music major.
Announced Tuesday, Nordström is named executive vice president, Warner Music Nordics and managing director of Warner Music Finland, based in Helsinki.
Nordström will report to Mark Fry, the newly appointed president of Warner Music Nordics.
“It’s fantastic news that Niko is returning home to the Nordics,” Fry comments in a statement. “He’s a friend and a partner, as well as one of the most admired figures in the history of the Finnish music industry. He moved the business and culture into the modern age, while nurturing an entire generation of groundbreaking artists.”
Niko played a “central role in making Finland a pioneering global music market,” he continues, “and I’m so pleased that he’ll be returning to lead the charge in Helsinki, while supporting all of us across the region.”
It’s the end of nearly four years of “adventures” in Australia, Nordström recounts. He relocated to Sydney in 2017 having served as VP Warner Music Nordics and as managing director of Warner Music Finland, where he was credited with doubling the Finnish company’s market share in his 10 years at the helm.
He led Warner Music Finland from 2007, when Warner acquired Helsinski Music Company (HMC), which Nordström had founded. His position in the Finnish music scene was confirmed in 2018 when he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Emma Gaala, the Finnish equivalent of the Grammys.
During his time with the Australian company, Nordström guided the rise of Indigenous artist Thelma Plum into one of the markets brightest stars, struck several deals in the hip-hop world, including pacts with 66 Records and DB Music, and restructured its A&R department.
An announcement on Nordström’s successor at Warner Music Australasia will be made soon, according to a statement.
