CMRRA would like to take this opportunity to introduce one of our newest members of our Management Team – John Olding, Vice President of Finance and Administration.
John was born in Montreal and holds a Bachelors business degree from the University of New Brunswick. While he was a student, he was involved with campus politics and ran the University radio station – now known as CFMH -107.3. John recalls fond memories of Tuesdays – the day new records came in. In 1990, he earned his certification as a Chartered Accountant. John spent the next five plus years of his career in accounting and served as a business advisor to numerous companies in a variety of industries. John was later employed by EMERA, a publicly traded energy and services company with roots in Nova Scotia. There, he was responsible for business development and the oversight of various acquisitions and strategic partnerships.
John has also worked as Director of Retail Accounting for Sobeys Grocery head office, and more recently as CFO for a family run retail company based in Ottawa. John joined CMRRA in December 2013. He brings extensive financial experience and he knows the importance of strong financial controls. He is constantly monitoring our reporting procedures to ensure CMRRA is operating with best practice principals in mind. A high level of transparency on how we handle our music publisher clients’ money is a top priority for John. He is also interested in keeping our commission rates competitive while still offering high quality services to our music publishers.
A top CMRRA priority in 2015 focuses on ensuring the new Licensing and Royalty Distribution (LDS) IT System is fully functional. In the new system, monies coming in and going out will be tracked more efficiently. In addition, the powerful matching protocols provided by LDS will ensure that more works and ownership information are matched and updated in a shorter timeframe. Both of these benefits will translate into faster turnaround time for distributions to clients. As well, CMRRA’s clients will receive their royalties faster with the new direct deposit service that was introduced last summer. John appreciates the openness of the CMRRA staff, who he regards as constantly welcoming open communication, collaboration and change. He also sees a genuine desire amongst staff to get the job done right and be of assistance to our music publisher clients.
A long time music fan, John attended his first concert (Queen) at the age of 12. Arcade Fire, Sun Kil Moon, Father John Misty and Sufjan Stevens are some of his current favourite artist and songwriters. John can be reached at [email protected].
