Adam Joolia (pictured) has been appointed as the next chief executive of Youth Music.
Joolia will join the charity in September and succeeds Matt Griffiths, who stepped down as chief executive in November after 13 years.
Griffiths is currently taking a break before figuring out his next steps, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Joolia joins Youth Music from AudioActive, a Brighton-based youth music and arts charity, where he has been chief executive for almost 20 years.
He has also been a trustee of Creative Crawley, an independent arts and education charity since 2020.
“At a time when young people and the wider sector are facing deep structural challenges, I bring a clear understanding of those pressures and first-hand experience of how transformative the right support can be,” Joolia said.
“But I also believe this is a moment of real possibility, a chance to build on Youth Music’s extraordinary legacy, to back the talent, ambition and creativity of young people, and to help shape a future in which more individuals, organisations and communities can thrive through music.”
Joolia will lead Youth Music as it develops a new five-year strategy with a focus on strengthening income-generation, championing youth voice, advancing equitable grant-making, and deepening partnerships across government, philanthropy, the music industries and grassroots communities, the charity said.
Charlotte Edgeworth and Isaac Borquaye, co-chairs of Youth Music, said Joolia’s track record of bold, inclusive and strategic leadership combined with his deep experience made him the “ideal person” to guide the charity through its next phase.
“Adam brings a genuine belief in the power of young people’s creativity to change lives,” they said.
“And we know that he will take great care of the fantastic culture we have grown at Youth Music and inspire our fantastic staff team.”
Angela Linton and Carol Reid will return to their roles as chief operating officer and programme director, respectively, following a period as co-interim chief executives.