Sylvia Rhone

By: Errol Mars

Born: March 11, 1952, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,

Position: Chairman & CEO,

Company: Vested in Culture (VIC),

Industry: Media,

Country: United States

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Sylvia M. Rhone is Chairman & CEO of Vested in Culture (VIC), her joint venture with Epic Records (30/01/2013). She was most recently President of Universal Motown Records and executive VP of Universal Records from 2004 to May 2011.

Born in Philadelphia and raised in New York City's Harlem, Ms. Rhone became the first black woman to head a major record company, when she was appointed president/CEO of Eastwest Records in 1990.

In late 1991, Atlantic formed a new label, Atco/EastWest, to encompass a broader range of musical artists. Atlantic later dropped Atco, and Ms. Rhone was named chairman and chief executive officer of her own label, EastWest Records America.

In 1994, Ms. Rhone became chairman/CEO of Elektra Records which eventually became Elektra Entertainment Group, whose roster included rapper Missy Elliott, Metallica, Jet, Fabolous and Yolanda Adams. "The Elektra Entertainment Group was one of the most actualized examples of diversity in action at a company that I've ever seen," said Ms. Rhone.

Ms. Rhone received a degree in economics from the prestigious Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Rhone was named an Alumni Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, and is a recipient of the Black Alumni of Pratt\'s Lifetime Achievement Award. Ms. Rhone is an inductee of the National Association of Black Female Executives In Music And Entertainment Hall Of Fame. She was awarded the Turner Broadcasting 2004 Trumpet Award, which heralds the accomplishments of distinguished African Americans around the globe in fields as diverse as law, politics, and entertainment.

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