NEW YORK, USA // Sylvia Rhone is the President of Epic Records and founder/CEO of Vested in Culture, her labelwith Epic Records.For more than three decades, Rhone has succeeded as one of the most influential femaleexecutives in the history of music business. Currently overseeing a roster of breakthrough, bestsellingartists, the Epic lineup includes Meghan Trainor, Michael Jackson, Future, Sara Bareilles,KONGOS, A Great Big World, Fifth Harmony and OutKast, among many others. Additionally, herVested in Culture lineup boast a diverse roster of young, fresh and new talent, including Latin popsinger-songwriter Kat Dahlia, rapper Casey Veggies and soulful Danish chanteuse CoCo (formerlyof Quadron).Rhone joined Sony Music Entertainment in March 2012 and launched Vested in Culture two yearsbefore she was appointed President of Epic Records in March 2014. Prior to her role at Epic,Rhone was President of Universal Motown Records and previously served as Chairman/CEO ofthe Elektra Entertainment Group (EEG), transforming the boutique label into one of the mosteclectic rosters in the music business. Rhone’s historic appointment in 1994 as Chairman/CEO ofEEG established her as the only African-American and the first woman in the history of therecording industry to attain such a title. Recipient of more than three dozen honors and awards,and a pioneer of the diversity-driven business model, Rhone has been recognized throughout hercareer as one of the entertainment field’s most prolific music executives.EARLY LIFE, EDUCATION, AND EARLY CAREERBorn in Philadelphia, PA, and raised in New York City’s historic Harlem, Rhone has cited her earlyexposure to seminal R&B shows at Harlem’s historic Apollo Theater as pivotal to her belief inmusic as an inspirational force. Accepted at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania,Ms. Rhone graduated with a B.S. in Economics. She attained a job at Bankers Trust in New YorkCity soon after graduating college, but pursued her passion for music by landing a job as asecretary for Buddha Records in 1974. In a succession of promotions over the next six years, shealso held positions at ABC Records and Ariola Records. Rhone was previously part of the Elektrafamily in 1980 as Northeast Regional Promotion Manager/Special Markets, and was eventuallypromoted to Director/National Black Music Marketing for Atlantic Records.ATLANTIC RECORDSCredited with helping to realign Atlantic’s black music mission, Rhone took on broaderresponsibilities in A&R and Marketing in 1986 with her promotion to Senior Vice President/GeneralManager of Atlantic Records. At Atlantic, Rhone was largely responsible for the breakout successof such artists as En Vogue, The System, Levert, Brandy, Yo Yo, The D.O.C., MC Lytle, ChuckiiBooker, Miki Howard, and Gerald Albright. It was under her watch that Billboard magazine namedAtlantic the No. 1 Black Music Division in 1988.Rhone’s career began to garner multiple ‘firsts:’ In 1990 she became the first African-Americanwoman to head a major record company when she was named CEO/President of Atlantic’sEastWest Records America division. A year later when the EastWest artist roster and operationswere combined with those of Atco Records, Ms. Rhone was named Chairman/CEO ofAtco/EastWest, and subsequently of EastWest Records /America. At EastWest, she was directlyinvolved with breaking several talented newcomers as well as taking successful stars to newheights, including En Vogue, Gerald Levert, Pantera, and Das EFX, among others. She alsoplayed a pivotal role in furthering the careers of noted superstars like AC/DC and Simply Red, whoeventually became EEG artists. Legendary Atlantic Records’ founder Ahmet Ertegun commentedon Rhone’s success during the period, calling her reign one of “innovation, imagination, andfreshness.” In 1993, she was cited by Ebony magazine as one of the top up-and-coming blackexecutives in the entertainment industry.ELEKTRA ENTERTAINMENT GROUPIn July of 1994, Rhone was tapped by Warner Music Group Chairman Doug Morris to becomeChariman/CEO of the Elektra Entertainment Group. An historic appointment for a female executive,an article in the Los Angeles Times anointed Rhone as “the most powerful woman in the musicbusiness,” citing her as the only African-American and the first woman in the history of therecording industry to attain the dual title.Rhone guided the delicate merger of Elektra, EastWest (of which she was formerly CEO) and SireRecords into one of the Warner Music Group’s most diverse and competitive labels. Rhone wasdirectly involved in the launch and guidance of multiple best-selling artists, and credited forproviding the ultimate creative environment for them to excel, including trailblazing hip-hop iconsMissy Elliott and Busta Rhymes, Tracy Chapman, Yolanda Adams, Metallica, Natalie Merchant,Gerald Levert, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Fabolous, Jason Mraz, and Third Eye Blind, among others.Long recognized as a keen developer of musical talent, she was also instrumental in transformingthe award-winning staff at Elektra, with Time Warner Chairman/CEO Dick Parsons noting: “TheElektra Entertainment Group was one of the most actualized examples of diversity in action at acompany that I’ve ever seen.” In 1998, Fortune magazine included her on its inaugural list of theFifty Most Powerful Women, with Rhone joining elite corporate icons such as Carly Fiorina andGeraldine Laybourne, among others. In 2001, Ebony magazine recognized her as one of the “TenMost Powerful Black Women In America,” with Rhone listed alongside global role models such asOprah Winfrey and Condoleezza Rice.MOTOWN AND UNIVERSAL MOTOWN RECORDSIn October 2004, Rhone was appointed President of Motown Records, Executive Vice President ofUniversal Records, with Chairman of Universal Music Group, Doug Morris, calling her “arainmaker,” and Universal Motown Record Group Chairman, Mel Lewinter, citing Rhone as a“natural to lead Motown’s evolution into the future.” Rhone did just that; under her stewardship,Motown reinvigorated both roster and staff, with Rhone also re-tooling the label into one of themore savvy digital music business platforms. Rhone worked to infuse the label’s storied legacy witha formidable repertoire of provocative, fan-connective artists, including Akon, India.Arie, ErykahBadu, Lil Wayne, Chamillionaire, the legendary Stevie Wonder, and others.In February, 2006, the Universal Music label split into two labels, Universal Republic Records, andUniversal Motown Records, with Rhone serving as President of the latter, and overseeing agrowing staff and vibrant arsenal of game-changing artists and imprints. Rhone’s strategicapproach helped to raise the global identity of tenacious hip-hop imprint, Cash Money, while alsoplacing an increased emphasis on Universal Motown artists’ connecting with fans via microbloggingand social network platforms.Profiled and quoted in hundreds of magazines and entertainment media outlets through the years,Rhone has become a perennial choice on multiple business and entertainment power lists. Amongher dozens of annual rankings, she has been named to Entertainment Weekly’s Most InfluentialPeople list six times, and The Hollywood Reporter’s Women In Entertainment Power list seventimes. Rhone has also been hailed by Crain’s New York Business magazine for “breaking groundfor years,” and recognized by NBC, MTV, BET, Rolling Stone, VH1, Billboard, Vibe, Ebony, andBlack Enterprise magazine multiple times.HONORS AND AWARDSRhone has been honored with more than three dozen awards during her career, both from themusic industry and the greater community. Among the past decade’s honors, she was mostrecently awarded the 2012 Essence Black Women in Music Trailblazer Award, the 2011 Keepersof the Dream Award and the 2010 Lexus Pursuit Of Perfection Award for her accomplishments asa trailblazer for African-American women everywhere. In 2008, Rhone was honored by the BlackWomen In Entertainment Law Foundation for her work as a “pioneer in African American Music.” In2007, she was awarded the Black Girls Rock! Corporate Award. In 2004, Rhone was awarded theTurner Broadcasting Trumpet Award, which heralds the accomplishments of distinguished African-Americans from around the world. In 2001, Ms. magazine named Rhone Woman Of The Year,along with Jane Fonda, Yoko Ono, and Venus and Serena Williams, among others. Rhone wasone of only four women recognized in Jet magazine’s historic 50 Years of Progress issue, whichchronicled the business achievements of prominent African-Americans in the last half-century.Other highlights and honors include an Honorary Degree, A Doctorate of Humane Letters, from theUniversity of Adelphi, the Herbert H. Wright Award from the National Association of MarketDevelopers; Sony’s Soul of American Music Excellence Award; The Urban Network’s Executive OfThe Year Award; The Boy Scouts of America’s Whitney M. Young Service Award; the New MusicSeminar’s Joel Webber Prize for Excellence in Music and Business Award; and the Legacy LifeMember Award from the National Council of Negro Women.Rhone is a member of the Board of Directors of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and theRock and Roll Hall of Fame.