Theda Sandiford

Ms. Sandiford, who has excelled within UMG in the fields of marketing, sales, and international commerce, will now head Def Jam’s growing commerce and digital marketing initiatives.

Ms. Sandiford entered the UMG commerce sector in 2016, as Vice President, Commercial Partnerships, and was promoted last year to Senior Vice President, International Commerce & Digital Marketing. Prior to UMG, she spent four years as Vice President, Digital Marketing & Sales, Republic Records (a division of UMG). Her first stint with the company was in 1999, a four year engagement as Senior Director, New Media, at the former Island Def Jam Music Group. She followed that with positions at American Greetings Mobile, Rush Communications, her own Theda Dotcom LLC, and Heatwave Interactive, before arriving at Republic in 2012. Ms. Sandiford’s early New York background in music includes positions at WBLS/WLIB, WYNY, and Billboard magazine, where she was nominated for Music Director of the Year in 1995, by both CMA and Billboard. She graduated from Tufts University in Boston, 1992, with the Bachelor Of Arts degree in American Studies. In addition to her music business talents, Ms. Sandiford became a Certified Sommelier with the International Wine Guild in 2010.