Live Nation hires Milly Olykan as Senior Vice President

Live Nation has announced the appointment of Milly Olykan as Senior Vice President of Artist Development and Global Touring. Olykan will officially join the company’s concerts division in January and will report directly to Omar Al-Joulani, President of Touring. In her new role, Olykan will focus on expanding Live Nation’s country and Americana strategy on a global scale. She will collaborate with the company’s international promoters to identify new touring opportunities, strengthen relationships within the artist community, and drive growth in the global country music market. Olykan brings a wealth of experience from her previous role as Vice President of International Relations and Development at the Country Music Association (CMA), where she has served since 2018. At CMA, she played a pivotal role in advancing country music’s international presence, building a network of industry leaders, and developing a robust global strategy for the genre. She also oversaw programming for CMA Fest and acted as interim festival director for two years. Reflecting on her time at CMA, Olykan said: “I’ve been so fortunate to work under Sarah Trahern’s incredible leadership at CMA, an organisation whose mission is to grow country music around the world. It’s been a privilege to have built so many meaningful relationships worldwide, and I’m excited to continue advancing that mission from my new role at Live Nation.” Before her tenure at CMA, Olykan was a driving force in the UK’s country music scene. As Vice President of Live Music and Major Arena Events at AEG Presents, she co-founded the Country to Country (C2C) Festival, the UK’s largest country music event, and played a crucial role in establishing country music touring in the UK. Her efforts earned her the CMA Jo Walker Meador International Award for exceptional contributions to the genre’s global growth.