First female leader for musicians’ union

Naomi Pohl has started work as the first ever female general secretary of the 30,000-member Musicians’ Union (MU) after an election whose result was announced on International Women’s Day last month.

She replaces Horace Trubridge, who has retired and who has been general secretary since 2017.

Former deputy general secretary Pohl took 62% of the votes in the second round of voting, when just she and orchestras official Morris Stemp were left in the contest.

A third candidate, lay member Stephen Brown, had been eliminated in the first round of the alternative vote electoral system.

Pohl has worked full time for the MU since 2009 with a range of senior responsibilities including three years as the number two. She joins Sharon Graham of the Unite general union and Sarah Woolley of the BFAWU food union in being elected to lead a union which, in membership terms, is male dominated. Only one third of MU members are female.

Pohl said: “After the toughest imaginable two years for musicians, there is plenty of work to do.”

Priorities in her inbox will include the need to “improve pay for our employed and freelance members post-pandemic, tackle the impact of Brexit and fix streaming”.

• Second round votes

Naomi Pohl: 2,193 (60.6%)

Morris Stemp: 1,426 (39.4%)

Turnout 12.5%