Rob Dickins

Rob Dickins (born July 1950, East Ham, London) is a British music industry executive, who currently holds a number of trustee and consultant positions in music and the arts in the United Kingdom. Dickins began his music industry career at Warner Music UK.

Early life and education Dickins grew up in East Ham and in the surrounding suburbs. His father Percy was a saxophonist and pianist and one of the founders of the NME, who started the first British Record Charts at the paper in November 1952. He attended Ilford County High School for Boys, before going on to Loughborough University, graduating with an undergraduate degree in Politics, Sociology, and Russian. While at university, Dickins was chair of the Folk Club, the Film Society, and the Entertainments Committee. He also served as Social Secretary of the Students Union.

Career Warner After graduating in 1971, Dickins joined Warner Bros Music Publishing and was appointed Managing Director in 1974, and International Vice President of the company in 1979. His UK signings included Prince, Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards (Chic), Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell, and his signings for the World company included Vangelis, Sex Pistols, Whitesnake and Madness.

In 1983, Dickins became the Chairman of Warner Music UK (a division of Warner Music Group), and remained in that role until December 1998. During his time there, the company became one of the most profitable in the UK.

In 2009, he became chairman of The Theatres Trust, the national public advisory body for theatres. The same year he sat on the Conservative Party's Creative Industries Advisory Board and delivered a paper on Skills and Education co-authored with Double Negative's Alex Hope. In 2013 he was selected to be on the Culture Minister Ed Vaizey's Arts Advisory Board.

In February 2012 he was appointed trustee of The Julia Margaret Cameron Trust at Dimbola, Isle of Wight. In October 2012 he was appointed trustee at the Handel House Museum in Brook Street, London.

In 2016 he was appointed as trustee to the board of the National Portrait Gallery by the Prime Minister.

Honours In the 2002 Birthday Honours Dickins was appointed a Commander of the British Empire for services to the music industry, and on 15 July 2002 he received an Honorary Doctorate from his alma mater Loughborough University.

In October the following year he was the recipient of the 2003 Music Industry Trusts Award in recognition of his role as "talent finder extraordinaire".

In 2005, Dickins was conferred as visiting professor in music and popular culture at the University of the Arts London. He was appointed a Fellow of The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in March 2007. His second visiting professorship was confirmed in June of the same year in music and media management at London Metropolitan University.

In July 2014 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from University of the Arts, London and gave a commencement speech at the Royal Festival Hall. In July 2015 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from London Metropolitan University and gave a commencement speech at the Barbican Theatre.