Musicians’ Union elects first female general secretary

The Musicians’ Union (MU) has this week announced the election of Naomi Pohl to the organisation’s most senior role of general secretary.

MU members voted by postal ballot after meetings in all of the Union’s democratic Regions. Announced on International Women’s Day (8 March), the appointment makes Pohl the first woman to hold the position in the Union’s 129-year history.

In this role, Pohl will be responsible for the administration of the MU’s affairs across the UK and has expressed her aim to help the MU ‘improve pay for our employed and freelance members post-pandemic, tackle the impact of Brexit and fix streaming’ as well as continuing ‘vital work to eliminate discrimination and harassment from the industry.’

Pohl also announced the launch of a new music education campaign as well as her intention to ‘move arts funding back up the Union's lobbying agenda’.

Pohl will succeed Horace Trubridge, who held the role for five years from 2017 to 2022. Trubridge said: ‘I have had the pleasure of promoting Naomi up through the ranks and I am delighted to hear that she has won the election to become the MU’s very first female General Secretary.’

Following a period as assistant general secretary for the Writers' Guild of Great Britain (the trade union representing professional writers in the UK), Pohl has worked full-time for the MU since 2009. She was the Union’s national organiser for recording and broadcasting before spending three years as deputy general secretary.

The MU, which represents over 32,000 UK musicians, negotiates with major employers in the industry and provides assistance for professional and student musicians. The general secretary is the organisation’s most senior role.

You can find out more about the Musician’s Union here.