BMI Names Martijn Tel to Chief Financial Officer

BMI named Martijn Tel to be its new chief financial officer on Wednesday, the performing rights organization said in a statement.

Tel joins BMI from the global data & information services provider Gerson Lehrman Group, where he also served as CFO. He will report to BMI’s president and CEO Mike O’Neill.

Since being acquired by the private equity firm New Mountain Capital in February, BMI has been beefing up its leadership team. BMI began operating as a for-profit commercial enterprise in late 2022, and Tel will play a key role in helping the PRO grow its distributions to publishers and songwriters in the evolving competitive landscape.

Tell joins other new hires Tom Kershaw, who was named BMI’s chief technology officer in July, and Justin Rohde, BMI’s new chief transformation officer.

Tel is experienced at leading financial transformations for companies backed by private equity capital, and along with Kershaw and Rode, he will be integral to the company’s growth plan, BMI said in the statement.

Prior to Gerson Lehrman, the Netherlands native worked as the chief financial officer for SiriusDecisions, a company that was acquired by the global consultancy and research firm Forrester, as well as at publisher McGraw-Hill’s higher education division.

“Martijn’s wealth of experience, particularly working with companies with ambitious growth plans, makes him a perfect fit for BMI now,” O’Neill said. “I look forward to working with him and our team as we continue to implement strategic initiatives designed to fulfill BMI’s mission to grow the value of music for our creators and copyright owners.”