Sarah Williams, CEO
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 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).
Michael Hatjoullis, Head of Operations
Michael Hatjoullis spent fifteen years working in independent music publishing, first as General Manager at Paul Rodriguez Music and later as Head of Publishing at Manners McDade, where he was also an IMPEL board member. He has managed commercially released music alongside commissioned works for film, television, and advertising, directly administering rights in multiple territories. His range of experience covers copyright, royalties, and licensing, in addition to neighbouring rights and label operations.