Stephen Russo
Stephen Russo has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Columbia Records, it was announced today by Rob Stringer, Chief Executive Officer of Sony Music Entertainment, to whom Russo reports. Formerly, Russo was SVP of Finance & Operations/CFO for Columbia Records. He will continue to oversee Columbia’s Finance & Operations, Marketing Financial Planning, Release Planning, Touring & Events and Digital Production functions.
“Steve has played an indispensable leadership role in all of Columbia’s financial and operational functions for many years,” stated Stringer. “He possesses a unique vantage point for seeing the big picture and the exceptional ability to strategically navigate today’s diverse marketplace on behalf of the label. Columbia Records joins me in congratulating Steve on this well-deserved promotion.”
Russo stated, “I’d like to thank Rob Stringer and Kevin Kelleher for their support and leadership, and for extending me the continued privilege of being associated with the most iconic record label in the business. It’s truly an honor to be part of a team responsible for serving our artists and bringing some of the most prolific music recordings in the world to the consumer public. In this dynamic phase of our industry’s lifecycle, I look forward to helping lead strategic initiatives in the next chapter of the Columbia Records story.”
Russo has been with Sony Music for 23 years in a number of key financial and operational positions. He joined Columbia Records in 2005 as VP of Finance & Operations and was promoted to SVP of Finance & Operations for Columbia in 2010. Russo took on an expanded role in Columbia Records’ overall management and business strategy when he was accorded the additional title of CFO by the label in 2015.
Russo joined Sony Music Entertainment in 1994, having previously worked at Ernst & Young as an audit professional in the service firm’s Media & Entertainment practice. A licensed CPA and CGMA, Russo earned a BS in Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in Marketing from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business.
