Music Publishers Association

Jackie Alway OBE, Champion for AccessAbility and EVP, International Legal & Industry Affairs for UMPG

 

Meet Jackie Alway OBE, who is our MPA Champion for AccessAbility and the MPA’s AccessAbility Employee Network. Jackie will be championing all disability and accessibility inclusion matters. The MPA AccessAbility Employee Network will support Music Publishing Sector employees and raise awareness of diversity and inclusion matters, focused on disability, accessibility, neurodiversity and intersectional issues.

Our AccessAbility Employee Network will be a safe place for members of it to discuss topics, share best practices, share experiences and concerns, celebrate events, raise awareness on disability matters and to provide feedback to the MPA Head of DEI and the Champion of Accessibility. All of this engagement and input will help the MPA positively influence the Music Publishing Sector’s awareness and strategies to assure a safe, welcoming, well-maintained and inclusive industry in which to work.

 

Introducing Jackie Alway OBE…

My name is Jackie Alway OBE. I’m the EVP, International Legal & Industry Affairs for UMPG. After qualifying as a lawyer, I’ve worked in Music Publishing for almost my whole career. It’s an industry I love.  In my view, I have the best job in the world, championing copyright and the role of music publishers both as Chair of ICMP (the global trade body for music publishers) and for UMPG, defending the rights of songwriters globally. As a former MPA Chair and current Chair of the innovative and successful MCPS, I’m a firm believer in our industry’s appetite for constant evolution and improvement. I know we can apply the same dynamism to this new initiative.

My journey towards full consciousness of accessibility issues began when I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2017.  Since then, as my symptoms have very gradually progressed and I’ve adapted to cope, I’ve paid attention to the similar or (usually) more severe challenges faced by friends and colleagues in the industry manifesting physical or neurological differences of any kind.  My conclusions are that music publishing is an industry of instinctively kind and supportive individuals, but for reasons that need exploring, there seem to be some barriers to entry for individuals with accessibility requirements.  In my role as the MPA Champion for AccessAbility I would like to work with the MPA’s membership to understand the hiring policies and employee resources already developed and provided by companies (in some cases these are already extensive).  I want to learn from the lived experience of the members of our Employee Network, then help publicise achievable recommendations for best practices.  The aim is to provide a focal point for music publishers who want to meet together, listen, learn, support and raise the bar for the industry in helping colleagues and aspiring colleagues with accessibility requirements.  I hope we can also make time to do what our industry does best – throw a few really good parties along the way.