SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (SEPT. 17, 2021) — The Recording Academy® announced today that Ruby Marchand has been appointed to the position of Chief Awards & Industry Officer and Joanna Chu has been elevated to Vice President of Awards, effective immediately. The redefined roles and restructuring of the Awards Department comes during a transformational period at the Recording Academy as the organization evolves to better serve its membership and the music industry at large.
As Chief Awards & Industry Officer, Marchand will continue to oversee both Awards and Membership & Industry Relations, reporting to the Academy’s Co-President, Valeisha Butterfield Jones. In her expanded role, Marchand will work closely with Genre Managers on the Awards team to effect outreach to musical communities across the nation and beyond, bringing innovative new possibilities into the Awards process while ensuring their utmost integrity. Marchand focuses on creative strategies that enhance the natural alignment between Awards and Membership, overseeing the Membership team as well as the leaders of the Producers & Engineers Wing®, Songwriters & Composers Wing and GRAMMY U®. In the newly created role of Vice President of Awards, Chu will further her expertise in Awards systems and operations by leading the team through all aspects of the Awards season. Chu will report to Marchand and join her in reinforcing key Academy initiatives throughout the Awards process, with a special emphasis on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
“I am proud to welcome Ruby and Joanna into their new positions as we work to enhance our awards processes from the inside out,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “Their expertise in this space is highly valuable as we continue to refine the Recording Academy’s role in the music industry and work to provide the highest quality of service to our members.”
Prior to joining the Academy’s executive team, Marchand held several elected leadership roles at the Academy. In 2004, she was elected Governor and Vice President of the New York Chapter, where she chaired GRAMMY In The Schools® for more than 12 years. In 2011, Marchand was elected a National Trustee from the New York Chapter and served for two terms. She was elected Vice Chair of the Academy by the National Board of Trustees in 2015 and served until 2019. Additionally, she was Co-Chair of the Awards & Nominations Committee for seven years and helped drive new eligibility rules related to streaming as well as the process of refreshing Fields and Categories for the GRAMMY Awards®. Marchand was a member of the National Advocacy Committee in 2015–16 and represented the Academy on a historic trade mission in 2014 with A2IM and several independent labels to Shanghai, Seoul and Hong Kong.
Marchand previously held leadership roles at Warner Music Group, including vice president of international A&R for 25 years, head of A&R for Cordless Recordings and Rykodisc, and senior vice president of revenue and repertoire assurance. Marchand has served as a consultant to the Music and Performing Arts Professions’ School at NYU and at other companies and organizations. She is a former executive-in-residence and adjunct professor at NYU Steinhardt’s Music Business Program.
Chu previously held Director and Managing Director roles in the Academy’s Awards Department, where she was responsible for overseeing the departmental staff and upholding the integrity of the awards process. Using her technical background and professional management experience, Chu’s efforts resulted in a number of musical talent recognitions and music career achievements. Prior to joining the Academy, Chu worked in Silicon Valley as one of the few female software engineers in the aerospace industry for 15 years prior to a career shift to the music industry.
