Island Records promotes Jackie Winkler to Senior Vice President, Head of A&R

Island Records has announced the promotion of Jackie Winkler to Senior Vice President, Head of A&R, effective September 5th.

Winkler, recently honored as The billboard Executive of the Week for her collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter, she will now lead Island Records' A&R department, overseeing signing and creative development for the label's roster of artists.

“Jackie is an outstanding leader and A&R executive,” co-CEOs Majid and Eshak said in a joint statement. “Her collaborative spirit, creative instincts and steady nature make her the ideal person to lead our A&R department. We are thrilled that he will be working with us in developing the next generation of iconic artists for Island Records.”

Winkler expressed his gratitude for the opportunity, saying, “I am deeply grateful to Imran and Justin for their unwavering faith and trust as I step into this new role. Their guidance has not only fueled my personal professional development, but has been the cornerstone of our department's success.”

She added, “I am excited about the opportunity to lead such an extremely talented, dynamic and fiercely competitive team as we push the boundaries of what we can achieve together.”

Winkler's promotion comes after she collaborated with Sabrina Carpenter on her latest album Short n' Sweetthat dominated the Billboard charts with two consecutive No. 1 Hot 100 singles, “Espresso,” which was recently crowned Billboard's No. 1 Global Song of the Summer for 2024, and “Please Please Please.”

The album was a worldwide success, reaching No. 1 in 15 countries, including the US, Australia and the UK Winkler signed Carpenter to Island Records in 2020 and has since been instrumental in shaping her career.

In a June interview with Bulletin boardtalked about working with Carpenter and the impact of her chart-topping singles.

“Nonsense walked so 'Feather' could jog, then 'Espresso' ran so 'Please Please Please' could start a stampede,” he said. “At the core, the music Sabrina makes is a perfect reflection of who she is as a person, and it's all the quirks and character that give her such a strong musical identity.”

“It's all down to her remarkable talent, the music itself and the relentless detail she's put into every aspect of her creative campaign,” he added.

Winkler began her career at Warner Records, where she rose from intern to A&R manager and discovered Academy Award-nominated artist Andra Day. She joined Island Records in 2015 as Director of A&R and was promoted to VP of A&R in 2022. Along with Sabrina Carpenter, she works closely with artists such as Demi Lovato, Keshi and Lauren Spencer Smith.

Winkler's achievements have not gone unnoticed by the industry Bulletin board calling her one of the Women in music for 2023.