Berklee Promotes Panos A. Panay to Vice President for Innovation and Strategy

In his new role, Panay will spearhead new initiatives and strategies to prepare music, dance, and theater graduates for a tech-oriented future.

July 17, 2017

Berklee announced today that Panos A. Panay has been promoted to vice president for innovation and strategy, effective June 1. Panay, a Berklee graduate who founded the artist booking platform Sonicbids, will remain the managing director of Berklee's Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship (BerkleeICE). In that role, Panay led the founding of the Open Music Initiative, which was launched last year in collaboration with more than 190 entities across the music and media industries; its mission is to create an open protocol for identifying and compensating creators of music.

In his new position, Panay will work across all Berklee divisions, departments, and campuses to develop, advance, and implement innovative new programs and overall strategic direction for the institution. This will include developing relationships, partnerships, and future-oriented projects that fulfill Berklee’s vision to transform arts education and to empower artists to better the world.

"In order to continue to attract the most talented, creative, and motivated students in the world, we must adapt our offerings so students have the best possible chance to succeed as professionals in a variety of careers," said Berklee President Roger H. Brown. "Technology has disrupted the music and creative industries, and Panos's aptitude for identifying and harnessing innovation through his work as an entrepreneur, the head of BerkleeICE, and cofounder of the Open Music Initiative is second to none. We're thrilled to welcome him to this new role that will undoubtedly inspire the next generation of Berklee students to become creative entrepreneurs and innovative performing artists who know how to navigate this new world."

Additionally, Panay will continue to build career and entrepreneurial capacity for Berklee students, preparing graduates to be professionals at the forefront of creativity, technology, and business. With this in mind, he will explore the role that emerging technology—including artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)—plays in the education and creative industries through the development of various learning and research-based initiatives.

"Since we started BerkleeICE in 2013, we've worked tirelessly to develop curriculum and programs that will arm graduates with the skills they need to succeed within the new music industry," said Panay. "It’s an honor to serve in this capacity for my alma mater, and to be given the opportunity to expand my role within Berklee's unique and innovative ecosystem to reaffirm Berklee as the leading institution for contemporary music and the performing arts."