Dean Ormston

Dean Ormston was appointed Chief Executive of APRA AMCOS in July 2018. APRA AMCOS is Australia and New Zealand’s largest music industry organisation with over 95,000 members who are songwriters, composers and music publishers. APRA AMCOS license businesses and organisations to play, perform, copy, record or make available members’ music and distribute the royalties to members.

His appointment as CEO follows over 20 years with the organisation leading its member services, licensing and advocacy work and comes at a time of major change for Australian and New Zealand music creators and the industry that supports them.

In recent years he has worked in partnership with Federal and State Governments for the recognition and support of creators’ rights and advocating the potential of the local music industry as a key economic and cultural asset that drives exports and educational outcomes across the country.

Mr Ormston has initiated research relating to the economic contribution of the Australian venue-based live music industry, the potential application of tax-offsets to the commercial music industry, and most recently the issues of gender equity in the Australian contemporary music industry.

He holds a Bachelor of Education in Music, a post-graduate qualification in marketing and is a graduate of the High Potentials Leadership program at Harvard University. In a former life Mr Ormston was a high school music teacher.