Veteran concert promoter Ali Harnell has joined Live Nation to oversee a new division of women’s initiatives, the company announced today. She will lead efforts to advance and support women in the live music industry, in addition to creating and developing content driven by females.
“I am truly excited to dive into this new venture where I can combine my experience and relationships with my passion to help drive this historical and aspirational time of change for women. It feels especially apropos to announce this on the first day of Women’s History Month,” she said.
As a company with 45 percent female staffers, Live Nation has several existing programs dedicated to women, including 21 chapters of We Nation, an employee-led group focused on empowerment; Future Nation, a gender-balanced career development program; and the Women Nation Fund, an investment fund created to support female entrepreneurs in the music promotions business.
Harnell will continue to expand these initiatives, partner with other industry groups and work to balance the representation of women in her industry. She will be based in Los Angeles and Nashville while reporting to Michael Rapino, CEO and president of Live Nation Entertainment, and Bob Roux, president of U.S. Concerts.
“Ali’s decades of experience and insight into the opportunities and challenges for women in the live music business make her a powerful champion for the women of Live Nation,” said Rapino. “Our goal is to work together to find scalable ways to empower the women at our company, and across the industry as a whole.”
Previously, Harnell was senior vice president of Global Touring for AEG Presents and also spent 14 years at AEG/The Messina Group in the same role. She co-created Country2Country, a popular country music festival in the U.K. She has been named the International Entertainment Buyers Association Promoter of the Year twice, named Venue Today’s Woman of Influence, and is a five-time Billboard Women in Music honoree.