Golnar Khosrowshahi is the Canadian powerhouse behind the first female-founded-and-led publicly traded independent music company in the U.S. With classical piano training from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and an MBA from Columbia University, she's a leading figure on both sides of the industry in an important sector of the music business. As publishing becomes an increasingly hot market in the industry, Reservoir has established itself as one of the field’s biggest players. In the past year, the company signed two major names with very different careers, but both are testaments to Reservoir’s relationships and vision. The company inked deals with Alberta gem and LGBTQ+ icon k.d. Lang — who has four Grammys and an Order of Canada to her name — and hip-hop trailblazer and multimedia star Snoop Dogg, who signed with Reservoir on the heels of providing commentary to NBC’s coverage of the Paris Olympics.

That’s on top of the company’s continued relationship with Canadian legend Joni Mitchell, whose catalogue Reservoir has managed since 2021, a source of pride for Khosrowshahi on a personal and professional level. Mitchell’s comeback continued to crest in 2024, with a Grammy win and performance, as well as Joni Jam concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. The company's portfolio contributed to six 2025 Grammy winners through its clients, including Steph Jones' co-write on the top 3 Billboard Hot 100 charting hit "Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter. Khosrowshahi is continuing to push the company forward, notching a reported 14% growth in revenue to $144.9 million in 2024 and expanding into the MENA region, a growing global market. The company signed a deal with “queen of Arab pop” Nancy Ajram, began a partnership with Saudi Arabian hip-hop label Mashrex, and acquired the catalogue of Egyptian rap duo El Sawareekh. Reservoir now has offices in Toronto, L.A., Nashville, London and Abu Dhabi. Khosrowshahi has a massively impressive track record of vision and fruition, a Canadian leader with global impact.

Under the leadership of Jason Klein and Sal Fazzari, Anthem Entertainment is among Canada’s biggest players in publishing and licensing. In 2024, the company grew its business, investing in Latin music with the hiring of industry veteran Victor Mijares as the company’s first VP of Latin Music and acquiring key catalogues like multi-platinum performer and songwriter Darell, building on a roster that includes hits by Luis Fonsi, Pitbull, Karol G and more. The company also diversified its business through a partnership with prominent Canadian label Wax Records which boasts talent like Shawn Desman, bülow, Alyssa Reid and Virginia to Vegas. Anthem has also helmed the expansion of songwriting development beyond Nashville, acquiring works from multi-platinum artist Chantal Kreviazuk, as well as finalizing a significant deal with music licensing platform Slipstream, adding over 650,000 tracks to that company’s catalogue.

David Quilico is a veteran music executive with over 30 years of experience, currently serving as Vice President, Creative at Sony Music Publishing Canada. A former SOCAN Award-winning songwriter and Vice President of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Quilico brings a creative-first, globally minded approach to artist and songwriter development. In 2024-25, he played a pivotal role in expanding SMP’s presence in Canada’s booming Punjabi music scene, signing standout talent such as AP Dhillon, Shinda Kahlon, Channi Nattan, Gurinder Gill, and producers Intense and Gminxr — whose credits include hits with over 1.4 billion combined streams. His wider roster includes hitmakers like Dax, River Tiber, Aqyila, Forest Blakk, Lights and Billy Talent. A passionate educator, Quilico also teaches A&R and Creative Entrepreneurship at Toronto’s Harris Institute.

Neville Quinlan and Cheryl Link lead peermusic Canada’s publishing and neighbouring rights divisions with a forward-thinking approach that continues to elevate Canadian music on the global stage. peermusic has had offices in Canada since the 1940s and was instrumental in the very early days of CMRRA. Quinlan, Managing Director, Publishing & Neighbouring Rights, serves as Chair of CMRRA’s Canadian Publishers Committee. In the past year, under Neville’s direction as Managing Director, peermusic expanded its neighbouring rights roster with signings including Teddy Swims and the estate of Aretha Franklin, while also celebrating the multi-Juno and SOCAN Award-winning success of breakout artist TALK. Link, recently promoted to General Manager of peermusic's Toronto operations, helped drive the acquisition of Corey Hart’s full publishing catalogue and signed Loreena McKennitt to a global publishing deal. peermusic also publishes The Tragically Hip, who continue unlocking their catalogue with posthumous releases. Link continues to lead creative and sync efforts across Canada and the U.S., while serving on the boards of SOCAN, SOCAN Foundation and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Together, they are growing peermusic’s footprint through strategic signings, office expansions in Toronto and Montreal, and key partnerships across publishing and rights management.

Adam Shomer and Eric Nguyen lead M&A and business development at Create Music Group (CMG), one of the fastest-growing music and entertainment companies, recently valued at over $1 billion. Shomer, a former Sony-signed artist and indie label owner, now serves as CMG’s VP of Business Development, spearheading over $100M in M&A outreach and expanding key verticals like sync and neighbouring rights. In 2023, he brought on Nguyen — formerly with SOCAN and KPMG — as SVP of M&A and Corporate Development. Since joining, Nguyen has helped deploy more than $200M in acquisitions of Enhanced and Ostereo, and played a central role in CMG’s $165M investment from Flexpoint Ford. One of the most eye-catching acquisitions was for the catalogue of electronic music star deadmau5 in addition to the catalogue of the electronic producer’s longstanding label, mau5trap. CMG has also entered into a deal to form a joint venture to release future recordings from deadmau5 and mau5trap, working with the Canadian producer. CMG now boasts 30 billion monthly streams and a roster that includes Marshmello, Ice Spice and rising Canadian-Punjabi talent via the newly launched World Records.