On Saturday, February 1, 2025, Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, a division of Universal Music Group, was presented with the 2025 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons® honor for her vast impact on the music industry.
During her remarks, Gerson, who serves on the Board of Directors for Project Healthy Minds, a Millennial/Gen Z-driven mental health tech non-profit, urged attendees of the prestigious Pre-GRAMMY® Gala to address the mental health crisis currently plaguing the country. Through her partnership with the organization, Gerson continues to break barriers, aiding in their year-round mission to democratize access to mental health services and destigmatize the conversation.
On the aftermath of the devastating Los Angeles fires and the country’s need to combat the current mental health crisis, Gerson shared:
“As horrified as we all are by the devastation caused by the wildfires in Los Angeles, we should be heartened and amazed by the generosity of Angelenos and others who have contributed generously to aid so many others who have lost everything. Along with these material losses, there is an unprecedented toll on the mental health of many who live here. We are anxious. Many of us are depressed and traumatized and we feel out of control. What is happening in Los Angeles now is reflective of what is going on in our country as a whole. We have a mental health crisis that must be dealt with.”
On her partnership with Project Healthy Minds and her dedication to destigmatizing the conversation surrounding mental health, Gerson stated:
“This is an issue all too familiar in our business. But by normalizing the pursuit of mental health care, we should applaud iconic artists like Billie Eilish, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Chappell Roan, and so many more, who have helped to lessen the stigma surrounding mental health care and made it ‘ok’ for many to seek help for the first time. Following their lead, I have recently joined the Board of a fantastic non-profit organization called Project Healthy Minds, which was founded on the belief that accessing mental health services should be as easy as booking a flight, hotel or restaurant reservation. This is an important endeavor that our entire industry can, and should, get behind.”
To learn more about Project Healthy Minds, visit projecthealthyminds.com.
JODY GERSON BIO
Jody Gerson is Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group [UMPG] and a member of Universal Music Group’s [UMG’s] Executive Management Board. One of the industry’s most respected and accomplished executives, Gerson leads a global company with 48 offices in 40 countries and more than 850 employees. She made history as the first female chairman of a global music company and the first woman to be named CEO of a major music publisher.
Since joining UMPG in 2015, Gerson has transformed the company into a global powerhouse that owns and administers more than 5 million copyrights and is the industry’s best global home for songwriters.
A highly respected creative authority and thought leader in our culture, Gerson has signed and works with the world’s biggest superstars, including Adele, Bee Gees, Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Lana Del Rey, Ariana Grande, Coldplay, Drake, Billie Eilish, H.E.R., Elton John, Alicia Keys, Steve Lacy, Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, Maren Morris, the Prince estate, Rosalia, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, SZA, The Weeknd, and more. She also led UMPG’s historic and highly competitive acquisitions of the iconic catalogs of Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Sting, and others.
As a champion for women in music and advocate for education, Gerson cofounded the global nonprofit She Is The Music. She also serves on Boards for the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the National Music Publishers Association, New Roads School, and Project Healthy Minds.
In January 2020, Gerson made history as the first woman and first music publishing executive to be named Billboard’s ‘Executive of the Year’ for that outlet’s most coveted Power 100 list, and annually ranks within that list’s Top Ten. She is the recipient of numerous other prestigious honors, including Billboard Power Players’ Choice Award; Variety’s Hitmakers Executive of the Year; Billboard’s 2015 Executive of the Year for their Women In Music issue; Rolling Stone’s ‘Future 25’; Variety’s Power of Women L.A.; The 2016 March of Dimes Inspiring Woman of the Year; and more.
Gerson jointly oversees Polygram Entertainment, a film and television development and production division of UMG which produces award-winning feature-length films and music-centric series. In 2024 alone, she served as Executive Producer on a broad array of projects, including Music Box: Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary; The Beach Boys; STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A.; and Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It. Other recent projects that Gerson Executive Produced include The Bee Gees: How to Mend a Broken Heart and HBO’s Music Box series. Among her and Polygram’s many projects in development are documentaries on Bernie Taupin and Prince.
ABOUT PROJECT HEALTHY MINDS:
Project Healthy Minds is a Millennial and Gen Z-driven mental health tech non-profit startup that is democratizing access to mental health services by building the world’s first digital mental health marketplace, destigmatizing mental health by partnering with culture-makers, and improving access and affordability by advocating for innovative workplace investments in employee mental health. The non-profit is focused on closing the treatment gap in America by attacking these primary barriers to care: stigma, discoverability, and affordability. Project Healthy Minds’ programmatic initiatives have served more than 400,000 Americans.
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