New Year’s Honours List Highlights
Last List of New Year's awards has been unveiled in the UK, featuring several well-known figures from the music industry.
Among the new names recognized:
- Austin Dabo OBE (Executive Vice President, Atlantic Records UK, for services to music);
- Jackie Hyde MBE (Vice President, Artist and Corporate Relations, Sony Music, Music Industry Services);
- Jasmine Dotiwala OBE (long-standing broadcaster, for services to broadcasting, music, and equality, diversity, and inclusion);
- Steve Lamacq MBE (veteran broadcaster and patron of the UK’s Music Venue Trust, which supports music venues and broadcasters).
Austin Dabo’s Journey
Before joining Atlantic Records UK in 2020, Austin Dabo held key editorial roles at Spotify and Apple Music for four years.
Prior to Spotify, he was the head of music at the influential UK radio station BBC 1Xtra.
During his time at Atlantic, Dabo has achieved significant milestones, including aiding Tion Wayne and Russ Millions, with Body becoming the first workout track to top the UK charts.
Raised in a single-parent household in South London, Dabo now serves as a board member and trustee of UD Music and the Warner Music Group Social Justice Fund.
“This recognition inspires me to continue to push boundaries, and I am excited about the plans we are making for 2025.”
Austin Dabo OBE
Dabo expressed: “I am honored to receive this award and humbly accept it on behalf of all the outstanding artists and colleagues with whom I have been fortunate to work over the past 20 years. This recognition inspires me to continue to push boundaries, and I am excited about the plans we are making for 2025.
“A special shout out to everyone at Atlantic Records and Warner Music UK – I am lucky to work alongside such passionate and dedicated people who inspire me every day.”
Jackie Hyde’s Legacy
Jackie Hyde‘s MBE recognition coincides with her completion of 46 years at Sony Music.
Hyde remarked: “Receiving this recognition feels overwhelming and I never thought I would be given such an honor. When I joined CBS Records/Sony Music back in 1979, I could not have imagined that I would find myself in the industry 45 years later or that I would receive an MBE.
“It has been an incredible and very happy career in a business that I am very proud to be a part of, and I am honored to have worked with such brilliant artists that I admire so much.”
“When I joined CBS Records/Sony Music back in 1979, I could not have imagined that I would find myself in the industry 45 years later or that I would receive an MBE.”
Jackie Hyde MBE
Hyde has played a pivotal role in Sony Music UK’s success over the years, forging strong relationships with stars like George Michael, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Celine Dion, Sade, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, and The Clash.
She also contributes to the board of the annual Music Industry Trust Awards, which has raised over £8 million for Nordoff & Robbins, the UK’s leading music therapy charity, and the BRIT School in Croydon since its inception in 1992.
Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for the Silver Clef charity dinner, an event that has accumulated more than £16 million for Nordoff & Robbins since its first gathering in the 1970s.
Steve Lamacq has been associated with BBC Radio since the early 1990s, also working as a journalist for the music magazine NME.
He co-presented The Evening Session on BBC Radio 1 alongside Joe Whiley from 1993 to 1997 before transitioning to BBC 6Music.
On 6Music, Lamacq regularly presented the drives for 18 years before departing the show in 2023.
He remains active in broadcasting with the BBC and others and continues as a patron of the Music Venue Trust, which advocates for the interests of UK independent music venues.
Jasmine Dotiwala boasts over 25 years of experience as a department head, manager, broadcaster, producer, director, inclusion leader, and columnist for various brands including Netflix UK, Media Trust, Channel 4 News, and MTV.
In 2020, she joined the editorial and publishing team at Netflix UK while continuing her support for Media Trust initiatives.
As a multimedia reporter and producer as well as a D&I specialist, Dotiwala spearheaded the Media Trust London360 broadcaster internship program, which has seen over 400 diverse graduates ascend to advanced roles within the UK’s broadcasting and creative sectors.
