MUMBAI: Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s leading music company, has named veteran business journalist Andy Fixmer to the role of Vice President, Global Communications, effective immediately.

Fixmer, who previously worked at Bloomberg Businessweek and Mashable, among other news outlets, will be based at UMG's Santa Monica headquarters and report to Will Tanous, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Communications. He will work with UMG's corporate team, its labels and operating companies around the world on helping communicate the company's business strategy, public policy initiatives and financial performance, as well as on internal communications.

"I'm very pleased to welcome Andy to our communications team," Tanous said in making the announcement. "His vast experience as a business journalist combined with a deep understanding of news reporting in the digital age provides us with a unique perspective and skill set that will be a valuable addition to our team."

"Universal Music Group is leading the music industry in developing exciting new ways for fans to listen to their favorite artists, while at the same time redefining the business models that make that increased access possible," Fixmer said. "This is an incredibly exciting time to join UMG and I look forward to applying my many years of experience as a journalist to help the company communicate that narrative."

At Bloomberg, Fixmer covered the entertainment industry, including film, television and music. After eight years at Bloomberg, Fixmer joined Mashable as Special Projects Editor where he helped create multimedia packages of stories and continued to write about the music industry.

Prior to Bloomberg, Fixmer was on staff at the Los Angeles Business Journal, helped launch a free daily newspaper in Santa Monica and started his career at the Times of Trenton in New Jersey. Fixmer also wrote several freelance stories for The New York Times while in college. He graduated in 2000 from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, with degrees in history and economics.