Sarah Williams

Sarah Williams is an independent music lawyer. Over her career, her wide range of interests and focus on the bigger picture have led to a unique set of skills covering law, politics, conflict resolution and the non-profit sector; all of which she sees as helpful to her role as IMPEL CEO.

Sarah was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1986 and to the California Bar in 1990. She has worked in the music and entertainment field since 1992 when, at the height of the Acid House/Techno/House revolution she started advising a number of dance labels. Always independent-minded, Sarah has run own legal and business affairs consultancy (Big Picture Legal) from offices in Birmingham, Manchester and London. Over the years she has represented an eclectic range of clients but over time, publishing emerged as a particular area of expertise and Sarah has consulted for many leading music publishers and has also worked with the MPA Group, particular on issues of governance and EU compliance. In 2003, Sarah took a sabbatical from her legal career to study in the US as a Rotary Peace Fellow. She holds a Bachelors degree in law (Bristol University) and Masters degrees in international law (London School of Economics), political science (UC Berkeley) and international studies (UC Berkeley).

Matt Bolton

Matt Bolton has worked in music publishing for over 20 years at a range of respected major and independent companies, including Universal Music Publishing, WCM, Zomba, Sanctuary and now the newly independent IMPEL.

For the past 10 years, Bolton has specialised in digital rights, working across licensing, legal, finance and operations. He has managed major digital deals across Europe, Latin America, Australia and the Far East and worked closely with Licensors and Societies on best practice.

In 2018, Bolton become Head of Operations at the new IMPEL, where he works with many of the world’s leading independent publishers.