Universal Music Group Nashville has upped Lori Christian and Rob Femia to its executive leadership team. Christian has been promoted to EVP of marketing; Femia has been named EVP of business & legal affairs.

Christian has overseen the launches of projects by Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Darius Rucker, Keith Urban and Luke Bryan, among others. She's also played a key role in the development of Brothers Osborne, Jon Pardi, Jordan Davis and Sam Hunt. She'll now helm UMG Nashville’s artist-development, brands & sponsorship, creative-services, international-marketing and media-marketing departments.

“Lori’s understanding of storytelling and her weaving of our artists' narratives has been a critical element of UMGN’s success,” said UMGN Chair & CEO Cindy Mabe. “Artist development is such a defining feature of UMGN, especially in a world where everyone is looking for immediate gratification. Having Lori in this leadership role to help drive it is going to change our artist growth strategy."

Femia has more than 15 years' experience practicing entertainment law at such companies as Sony BMG and Virgin Records/Capitol/EMI. He joined UMG Nashville in 2013 as head of business & legal affairs and was promoted to SVP in 2018.

“It’s an honor to expand Rob’s leadership abilities beyond his legal role,” Mabe continued. “He's had a front seat to dealmaking for a while, but as we expand UMGN's goals, Rob is helping build the next era of the country-music business. With the industry changing so rapidly, he is an essential partner. His guidance is critical to our success."

As for our future, it looks as dim as ever.