global citizen
Global Citizen has made two key appointments to their executive leadership team, the company tells Billboard. Katie Hill, senior vp of music, entertainment and artist relations, has been promoted to chief music and entertainment officer, while lfeoma Chuks-Adizue has been hired as Global Citizen’s first-ever MD in Africa.
Hill has been at the company since 2014, leading the music, entertainment and artist relations team in securing renowned acts for Global Citizen’s festivals and campaigns to support the international education and advocacy organization’s mission to end extreme poverty. She’s worked closely with Beyoncé, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Finneas, Coldplay, BTS‘ Jung Kook, BLACKPINK‘s LISA and many more artists, as well as their management teams, to ensure Global Citizen’s mission is clear and accessible. She also developed the company’s Ambassadors and Advocates for Change program, which has built long-term partnerships with Usher, Hugh Jackman and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Global Citizen’s executive leadership team as Chief Music and Entertainment Officer. It’s been an honor to help build such an important movement, which truly leverages the power of music and entertainment to create positive change in the world,” Hill tells Billboard in a statement. “When I reflect on the impact that has been achieved over my last 10 years at Global Citizen, I am inspired by the passion and dedication of so many incredible artists and partners across the industry that have joined us in the fight to end extreme poverty. I can’t wait to build on this collaborative impact.”
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Chuks-Adizue will spearhead Global Citizen’s activities in Africa, implementing its strategy across the continent including the next installment of Move Afrika: A Global Citizen Experience. In November 23, Lamar and his company, pgLang, teamed up with Global Citizen to create Move Afrika, a first-of-its-kind touring circuit across Africa that aims at driving economic investment, creating jobs and supporting entrepreneurship opportunities in each host country. Lamar headlined Move Afrika: Rwanda in Kigali last December, with pgLang set to serve as the curator of Move Afrika until 2028. According to a press release, that event employed more than 1,000 Rwandans and engaged 75% local crew and production staff, with a specific focus on creating opportunities for skill development and international skill training. Ghana joined Rwanda as a host country for Move Afrika earlier this year.
In her new role, Chuks-Adizue will oversee key partnerships that span business development, marketing, broadcast and event production, as well as Global Citizen’s Africa-based teams and operations. Based out of Global Citizen’s office in Lagos, Nigeria, Chuks-Adizue will also work closely with the company’s executive leadership in New York, playing an instrumental role in building relationships with private sector partners and within the philanthropic community.
“I’m honored to be joining the Global Citizen team in this newly created position to drive efforts and impact across Africa. Powered by everyday advocates, campaigns and events that span the world, Global Citizen’s efforts are critical to ending extreme poverty, and I’m humbled to bring my experience and leadership to this vital work,” says Chuks-Adizue. “I look forward to working with many fantastic partners to continue the momentum and growth of Move Afrika, the pioneering music touring circuit, and drive economic investment, job creation and entrepreneurship opportunities across the continent.”
Prior to joining Global Citizen, Chuks-Adizue served as executive director commercial at Chemical and Allied Products PLC (CAP PLC), a prominent paints manufacturer and distributor in Nigeria, and held key leadership roles at Procter & Gamble Nigeria and Cadbury Nigeria.
“Ifeoma’s extensive leadership experience, together with her passion for advocating for women and girls across Africa, perfectly aligns with Global Citizen’s mission,” adds Global Citizen president Liza Henshaw. “Her vast networks of relationships across various sectors will be instrumental in advancing our work across the African continent for years to come.”
The Global Citizen Festival is heading to Latin America.
During Global Citizen NOW: Rio de Janeiro on Sunday (Nov. 17), the international advocacy organization launched its new Power Our Planet: Take Action Now campaign, which will culminate in Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia — the movement’s first large-scale music event in Latin America.
Set for November 2025, Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia will take place at the Estádio Olímpico do Pará in Belém, Brazil. While the exact date is yet to be confirmed, the festival will be timed to coincide with the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which will take place from November 10-21, 2025.
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In a statement on Sunday, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva said, “One year from now, Brazil will proudly host COP30 in the Amazon rainforest — a defining moment in our collective fight to protect our planet and ensure a sustainable future for all. We are proud of Global Citizen’s Power Our Planet campaign, and to host Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia in Belém next November — the first ever impact concert in the rainforest — with the ambitious goal of raising $1 billion dollars and driving forward the climate justice agenda. Together, we will mark 10 years since the Paris Agreement with a landmark event that sets the world on a transformative path toward a more sustainable and just future.”
Global Citizen co-founder and CEO Hugh Evans stressed the urgent need for action: “The issues of climate change and extreme poverty are two sides of the same coin. The climate crisis could push 100 million more people into poverty in the next five years, and 10 years on from the Paris Agreement, we are not seeing the bold ambition needed from political leaders to stop rising temperatures leading to that decline. The only solution is action now — the next 12 months will be vital for securing new funding and radical policy change, and we’ll campaign to ensure it happens.”
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As with previous editions, Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia will feature top global and Brazilian musical artists, including Indigenous performers. Fans who wish to attend can earn free tickets by taking action in support of the Power Our Planet campaign. More details will be available in the coming months.
Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia will be presented by Banco do Brasil, with organizing partner Re:wild, and policy partners Open Society Foundations and the Bezos Earth Fund.
During Sunday’s summit, Latin Grammy-nominated musician and philanthropist ALOK was announced as an official Global Citizen Advocate for Power Our Planet. The campaign calls on world leaders to take urgent action to protect the Amazon rainforest, scale up renewable energy in Africa, phase out fossil fuels, and demand justice for communities most impacted by climate change.
BLACKPINK’s LISA is the latest addition to the line-up for the 2024 Global Citizen Festival.
The K-pop superstar will mark her first live solo set at a festival she co-headlines this year’s event, where she joins previously confirmed headliners Post Malone, Doja Cat, Jelly Roll and Rauw Alejandro.
The timing is sweet. Just this week, LISA landed her first Billboard Global Excl. U.S. No. 1 with “Rockstar,” which opened at the summit. The song was first teased on TikTok earlier last month when LISA joined the social media site and set a Guinness World Record by gaining 1 million followers in just over two hours. That’s just one in an impressive and expanding collection of records smashed by LISA, Jennie, Rosé and Jisoo.
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“We are thrilled to join forces with LISA for what will be her first ever solo performance at a music festival,” comments Katie Hill, senior VP, head of music, entertainment and artist relations at Global Citizen, the world’s leading organization seeking to end extreme poverty. “LISA is not only an incredible performer, but also a powerful advocate, leveraging her voice and platform to drive action on some of the most urgent challenges our world is facing.”
As previously reported, the concert will be presented at the Great Lawn in New York’s Central Park on Sept. 28, and hosted by Global Citizen Ambassador actor Hugh Jackman. The day will also feature appearances from Jane Goodall, as well as Coldplay singer Chris Martin, the festival curator.
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“As world leaders gather in New York for the UN General Assembly,” reads a statement, “the 2024 Global Citizen Festival will advocate for the equity of all people, calling on governments, philanthropists and the private sector to ensure the basic needs of the world’s marginalized communities are fulfilled, including immunizations and strong health systems, quality education, and nutritious food.”
Tickets to the Global Citizen Festival are free and can be earned by taking action on the Global Citizen app or at globalcitizenfestival.com to defeat poverty, defend the planet and demand equity.
Anitta, Danai Gurira, Hugh Jackman, Dakota Johnson and Michelle Yeoh are the co-chairs set for this year’s Global Citizen NOW, a two-day leadership summit planned for May 1-2 at Spring Studios in New York City. The Brazilian star, who will speak at the summit, is set to join political, corporate and philanthropic leaders for the program that is focused on […]
Global Citizen NOW will make its international debut in Melbourne, Australia next month, for a two-day program capped with a special performance by Crowded House.
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Set for March 4-6 at Centrepiece, Melbourne Park, the summit will drive action on the climate crisis, gender inequity, innovations in health systems and fighting food insecurity and extreme poverty in the region and around the world, as Australia hosts ASEAN leaders in the Victorian capital.
Speakers include Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York; Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister of Timor-Leste. Global Citizen ambassadors Hugh Jackman and Charlie Puth; Julia Gillard, former prime minister of Australia; and Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank, will join virtually.
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Ferguson is co-chair of the event. “I’m coming to Global Citizen NOW: Melbourne to participate in vital intergenerational conversations with young leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region, who are doing frontline, grassroots work to address the climate crisis, the hunger crisis, girls’ education,” she explains in a statement, “and issues perpetuating cycles of extreme poverty. I look forward to listening to them, learning from them, and contributing whatever voice I have to speak up for the future of our planet.”
The inaugural Global Citizen NOW: Melbourne event wraps March 6 with Global Citizen Nights, an “intimate evening of music and storytelling” at the Palais Theatre, headlined by Crowded House.
“We are delighted to be providing a closing performance for Global Citizen, who are bringing together talented and passionate young advocates and innovators to help solve the most urgent problems facing all of us…equity and climate,” comments Crowded House frontman Neil Finn. “Who knows from what distant corners brilliant ideas might come from. Young people’s amazing potential is sometimes hidden from view. We want to be there to help bring it into the light.”
The ARIA Hall of Fame-inducted band is gearing up for the release of Gravity Stairs, their first through a new arrangement with BMG. Due out May 31, it’s the eighth studio album from the beloved folk-rock act which has sold over 15 million records worldwide, won 13 ARIA Awards, eight APRA Awards, a BRIT Award, an MTV VMA and landed No. 1 albums in the U.K. and Australia.
Free tickets to the performance and can be earned by taking action on the Global Citizen app and at globalcitizen.org/nights.
Global Citizen, the leading advocacy organization, has a strong Australian connection. It’s the brainchild of Australia humanitarian Hugh Evans. “It’s all I’ve ever cared about, since I was literally 12 years old, was the eradication of extreme poverty. It’s the simplest truth about me and our co-founders,” Evans told this reporter in 2022, on a trip to his homeland.
Global Citizen NOW: Melbourne is presented by the State Government of Victoria, with a range of partners including Cisco, Citi and P&G.
Additional performers will be announced in the coming days.
Global Citizen and pgLang have teamed up to create a new touring circuit throughout Africa titled Move Afrika: A Global Citizen Experience. To kick off the initiative, Kendrick Lamar will headline Move Afrika: Rwanda at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, on Dec. 6. Lamar’s pgLang company will serve as the Curator of Move Afrika […]
Megan Thee Stallion is no longer part of the 2023 Global Citizen Festival lineup. “Due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict, Megan Thee Stallion will no longer be available to perform at the 2023 Global Citizen Festival,” a source tells Billboard. At press time, a representative for the rapper had not returned Billboard’s inquiry about her […]
HeadCount founder/executive director Andy Bernstein announced he will step down from his role in an open letter released Monday (May 1), kicking off a search for a new executive director to fill his seat beginning next year.
In the letter, Bernstein wrote that he intends to leave “to make room for new leadership, fresh vision and the type of innovation that only change can bring,” though he will continue on with the organization — a national nonprofit that works on voter engagement — in an advisory role. He continued that “constant reinvention has sustained HeadCount for all these years,” and that with the 2024 presidential election looming, “I believe it’s the right time for someone new to take HeadCount into the next era.”
Bernstein founded HeadCount with Marc Brownstein in 2004.
According to Bernstein’s letter, HeadCount has registered over 1.2 million voters over the past 20 years by engaging with music fans at concerts, festivals and more. The organization began working with politically minded acts like Dave Matthews, Phish and founding board member Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead and has since grown to work with more than 200 artists, including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Dead & Company, Harry Styles, Lizzo, Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish. It has also integrated with Spotify and established a multi-year partnership with Global Citizen.
“What’s always meant more to me than any number, though, is the human connection driving it all,” Bernstein wrote. “Collaborating with our board of directors and its brilliant chairs Peter Shapiro and Jessy Tolkan; seeing our volunteers form a community and hone their skills; working with a staff that feels more like a family — that’s what fueled me over the years. We built this thing together, one idea at a time.”
HeadCount has posted the executive director job description online. It calls for “a natural leader with a keen cultural radar, a track record of success in the nonprofit or private sector and a strong connection to the audiences we engage.” The job will entail leading a team of 22 staff members with an organizational budget between $4-5 million. Check out the full job description here.
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