Toronto, June 2, 2021 – The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF), which is wholly owned by SOCAN and operated at arm’s length, today announced new expanded roles for its management team. Vanessa Thomas moves into the new role of Vice-President, Member & Industry Relations role at SOCAN, as the as the nonprofit collective management organization continues the renewal of its strategic vision, while Nick Fedor is promoted to Director of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Together the two have elevated the stature of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame by reimagining its operations and approach to a multitude of inductions of celebrated songwriters and iconic songs in both French and English.
In her new role at SOCAN, Vanessa Thomas will spearhead A&R, events, stakeholder and US relationships and continue to oversee the Hall of Fame from a strategic standpoint. She will officially step into her new role on June 14th.
Prior to joining the CSHF, Vanessa spent 15 years in California working with major broadcasters both on and off air, and ran Gavin Magazine, a well-known broadcast industry trade publication. Thomas returned to Canada as Managing Director of Nielsen Entertainment Canada, and then promoted to Senior Vice President, North America Nielsen Music, a position she held for 12 years. She and her team of 14 worked with the music industry, performing rights organizations and broadcasters on both sides of the border. She then opened Songza Canada’s offices and later led business development for Rdio. She brings a highly diverse network of contacts and understanding of the music industry.
Nick Fedor, whose been with the organization for the last seven years has played an invaluable role in its success since SOCAN assumed ownership in 2012. He will lead Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame operations, inductions and special initiatives, reporting to Vanessa Thomas and to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Board of Directors.
“In just the past five years, Vanessa and Nicholas have exponentially raised the profile of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in the public eye; and despite what has been a challenging year for the music industry, their creativity, ingenuity and perseverance have propelled the past 12 months of inductions to new heights with the strategy to partner with Canada’s top broadcasters, performing artists and songwriters,” said Stan Meissner, Chair of the CSHF. “We know that Vanessa will continue to foster and create exciting new opportunities ahead for the Songwriters Hall of Fame; and bring the same passion to her new role at SOCAN.”
