SACEM in a nutshell
1851
Founded in 1851 under the Second French Republic, SACEM (Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music), is a non-profit non-trading entity owned and managed by its members according to the business model of cooperative.
196,712
Creators and publishers worldwide, trust SACEM to protect their works and to support them in their projects. SACEM services are intended for authors, composers, publishers, authors-directors, dubbers and subtitlerspoets, humourists.
174
Nationalities all over the 5 Continents
14,000
New Members joined in 2020
3.3M
New Works were registered with SACEM in 2021
The Team
Cecile Rap Veber
Chief Executive Officer
Cecile Rap Veber
Cécile Rap-Veber is Chief Executive Officer of Sacem since October 2021. She was, since January 2019, Director of Development, International and Operations and member of the Executive Committee. She has played a major role since 2013, when she joined, in Sacem’s digital transformation and internationalisation. She initiated and supervised the deployment of the world’s first online rights management platform, URights. She contributed to Sacem’s recent growth by overseeing global partnerships with major platforms, media and internationally recognised music publishers. She, along with David El Sayegh, is also in charge of the project to create the new collective management body for press rights in France.
In a setting where the health crisis has profoundly weakened the creative world and accelerated changes in the sector, with the explosion of streaming and new content, Ms. Rap-Veber’s background and expertise are a crucial asset in opening up a new strategic phase for Sacem.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
A former lawyer at the Paris Court of Appeal, she joined Universal Music France in 2000, where she was Legal & Business Affairs Director and then Universal Music Consulting & Content (UMCC) Director until 2013.
OTHER WORK AND COMMITMENTS
Cécile Rap-Veber is General Secretary of the Society for the Administration of Mechanical Reproduction Rights (SDRM). She sits on the Board of Directors of Copie France. She is also on the Board of Directors of the International Bureau of Societies Managing Registration and Mechanical Reproduction Rights (BIEM).
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Cécile Rap-Veber holds a Master’s degree in Contract Law and Private International Law and a Certificate of Proficiency in Law (CAPA) from the Paris Bar.
David El Sayegh
Deputy CEO
David El Sayegh
David El Sayegh is Deputy CEO. He had previously been Secretary General since 2013, in charge of the Legal Department, Institutional Relations, Anti-Piracy and Music Services.
He has played a major role in the transformation and development of Sacem in recent years. He has been at the forefront of the battle to defend and promote the recognition of authors’ rights at the French and European levels, and has made a major contribution to the development of the legislative and regulatory framework that has enabled the establishment of international partnerships with the major digital players.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
David is a specialist in intellectual property law and worked for five years at Soulié & Coste-Floret, before joining Sacem for the first time, in the Internet, Media and Reproduction Rights Collection Division. In 2007, David joined SNEP as Director of Legal Affairs and New Technologies, before becoming their CEO from 2009 to 2013.
OTHER WORK AND COMMITMENTS
David is President of the Public Affairs Committee (GPC) in CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers and a member of the Board of Directors of Copie France.
He is also a member of AFPIDA and of Alai, acting as a representative in the Commission for article L. 311-5 of CPI for the remuneration of private copying, a member of the Council for Literacy and Artistic Property (CSPLA) and Publication Director of the Revue Internationale du Droit d’Auteur (Rida).
EDUCATION & TRAINING
David El Sayegh is a lawyer by training.
Stephane Vasseur
Network Director
Stephane Vasseur
Stéphane Vasseur is the Network Director, in charge of collecting general rights (public usage rights) from all over France from a wide range of client-users of music. He leads teams based at Sacem headquarters and in the regions spread over 65 local offices.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Stéphane joined Sacem in 1992. His career in the regional network led him to serve as Regional Delegate in a number of regions, as Head of Surveys in the Department of General Rights, as Regional Director and, subsequently, as Deputy Network Director. He has been at the head of the regional network since 2014.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Stéphane is a graduate of the Institute of Political Studies in Paris.
Thibaud Fouet
Director Of Membership
Thibaud Fouet
Thibaud Fouet has been Director of Membership since January 2019. In this capacity, he is responsible for overseeing all aspects of membership relationships, including all the new tools necessary to satisfy our members requirements and the development of our social and professional services.
He is at the head of three departments: Social and Professional Affairs, Services and Members and Verification of Distribution.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Thibaud joined Sacem in 1992 after three years working in live performance. His career in the regional network led him to the position of Regional Delegate both in France and overseas. After gaining experience in the Company’s regional network, he took over the responsibility of the Divisional Audit Department in 2006, a position to which was added, in 2014, the post of Director of Membership Services.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Thibaud is a graduate of INSEEC Business School in Paris.
Paul Cohen Scali
Chief Information And Technology Officer
Paul Cohen Scali
Paul Cohen Scali has been Chief Information and Technology Officer at Sacem since August 2019. In this role, he is pursuing digital transformation in the service of the company’s objectives and its commitment to generate value for authors, composers and publishers. In particular, he is striving to improve member services and strengthen the ability to process ever-increasing volumes of data. It is through these many projects that Sacem anticipates and responds to digital challenges and those of the music sector. He is also a member of the Board and the Executive Board of DDEX (Digital Data Exchange) as the representative of Sacem.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Paul Cohen Scali started his career in various positions in the military sector and then in new technologies, notably at Cap Gemini. In 1997, he joined Bouygues Télécom where he contributed to urbanise the information system and worked on mobile phone services as well as on the commercial information system. In early 2009, he joined PMU as CTO to implement digital transformation in a context of opening towards competition of the online gaming market. In 2017, he was promoted to Chief Information and Technology Officer and joined the Management Committee.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Paul Cohen Scali is a graduate engineer from ENSTA.
Celine Stierle
Director Of Communication, Engagement And Public Relations
Celine Stierle
Céline Stierlé has been Director of Communication, Engagement and Public Relations since September 19, 2022. This newly created department aims to strengthen Sacem’s global strategy for dialogue and outreach towards its various stakeholders, including institutions, and to develop its approach to societal and environmental commitment.
EXPERIENCE
Céline held the position of Communications Director at PMU since 2020, after having been Communications Director at Amazon Logistique France from 2015 to 2017, and then Group Director of Press Relations and Public Affairs at IDEMIA. Céline Stierlé also held the position of Associate Director at Havas Paris, which she joined in 2009.
EDUCATION
Céline holds a postgraduate diploma (DESS) in audiovisual communication law and administration (Paris 1 – Panthéon Sorbonne), a postgraduate diploma (DEA) in communication law (Paris 2 – Panthéon Assas) and a diploma from the French Press Institute (Paris 2 – Panthéon Assas).
Francois Besson
Director of Cultural Affairs
Francois Besson
François Besson has been Director of Cultural Affairs since 2013. This division promotes the career development of songwriters, provides support for publishers, promotes the exploitation of works and offers support for creative projects in all genres, as well as in the field of music for the moving image, in France and internationally.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
François Besson began his career at Diapason as Editorial Secretary before joining Universal Music, when Universal Classics was established. After five years at France Inter, where he was in charge of the Promotions and Partnerships Division, then Director of Music Programming, he joined Sony Music in 1993 as Director of the Classical and Jazz Division. François Besson joined The Walt Disney Company in 1996 and, from 2001, worked in the operational marketing agency in France and the United Kingdom. In 2009, he founded his marketing and project development agency, specialising in classical music.
OTHER WORK AND COMMITMENTS
François Besson lectures at the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Paris (CNSMDP) on topics related to broadcasting and new media.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
François Besson has a dual career in entertainment and the marketing of cultural products.
Philippe Otero Del Val
Chief Financial Officer
Philippe Otero Del Val
Philippe Otero del Val is Sacem’s Chief Financial Officer. He is responsible for accounting, taxation, operations management, financial management, real estate, general services and purchasing.
EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE
Philippe began his career as an auditor with Arthur Andersen and Sanofi. He joined the Lagardère Group in 1998 as Financial Controller of the company’s Hungary sales branch, in Budapest. He then became Chief Financial Officer for Lagardère’s North American distribution operations, based in Toronto, before returning to the head office in Paris, where he took up the position of Deputy Strategy and Development Manager. In 1995, he was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Lagardère’s duty free business. He joined Sacem in 2012 as Chief Financial Officer.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Philippe is a graduate of EM Lyon Business School and holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.
Louis-Jérôme Texier
Human Ressources Director
Louis-Jérôme Texier
Louis-Jérôme Texier has been Sacem’s Human Resources Director since 2008.
He gives life to a human resources policy designed to promote the continuous development of Sacem and all its employees.
Employee retention and the promotion of equal opportunities are a priority in a context where the majority of jobs require specific skills, training, skills development and internal mobility, together with other tangible measures to ensure a high-quality working life, form the basis of his approach to employment relations.
Underpinned by a genuine concern for quality and respect for social dialogue, his human resources policy enables Sacem to meet any current and future challenges that digitisation and internationalisation may present, with the universal support of a skilled workforce and organisational developments.
This dialogue has made it possible to involve the company in an active policy of Corporate Social Responsibility, with some very practical initiatives being taken in respect of disability, diversity and gender equality. Sacem’s professional Gender Equality Index of 88/100 for 2018 is evidence of all the progress that has been made over more than ten years working in this area.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Louis-Jérôme has had thirty years of human resources experience in major organisations in the quasi-public and private sector.
After starting his career in social relations at Renault Trucks, he has held various human resources positions in the Compass Group and at Elior. Before joining Sacem, Louis-Jérôme was Human Resources Director at the Établissement français du sang.
OTHER WORK AND COMMITMENTS
An active member of community HR clubs and associations, Louis-Jérôme has also given lectures at Paris Descartes University and has written several articles on ethics and human resources.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Louis-Jérôme Texier holds a postgraduate degree in public law from the University of Poitiers.
Florence Graveline
Director of Internal Audit and Control
Florence Graveline
Florence Graveline is both Director of Internal Audit and Control and Data Protection Officer (or DPO). The combination of these two key functions under her supervision provides a 360° view of compliance for all Sacem projects. The Internal Audit and Control department supports Sacem operations through risk management and the implementation of compliance, develops a culture of internal control practices and contributes, in particular through its audits, to the reliability of the society’s processes.
EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE
Florence began her career in law firms specialising in intellectual property and information technology (IP/IT). In 2003, she joined the legal department of SACD (Société des auteurs et compositeurs dramatiques) as an IP/IT legal expert. In 2007, she joined Sacem’s legal department as head of legal studies, providing her expertise to the operational departments on all issues of interest to the society. In addition to her legal duties, she became personal data protection official for Sacem in 2010, and then in 2018, Data Protection Officer.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Florence Graveline holds a Master’s degree in Digital and New Technology Law from the University of Paris I/Sceaux and the Certificate of Aptitude for the Legal Profession (Capa) from the Paris Bar Association.
HONORS
Prix de l’Innovation en Management Juridique (Innovation in Legal Management Award) 2015 (LEGITEAM).
Prix du DPO le plus fédérateur (Award for the most federative DPO) 2018 (JDN – Journal du Net).
Sacem Worldwide
Stephane Emeret
US Representation & Development
Stephane Emeret
Stephane has been representing Sacem for the USA since 2016.
Based in Los Angeles, but traveling regularly to NYC, Miami, Nashville… to meet with Sacem members and provide support all over the continent, Stephane has been instrumental in developing the Sacem Health Care Worldwide Coverage for all the members of all nationalities.
Stephane has also recently, in collaboration with the communication team in Paris started the development of a dedicated Sacem.us website specifically designed to facilitate the access to all Sacem services to Sacem members living on the US soil.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND:
Stephane is an acclaimed Artistic Director with an extensive track record of successful partnerships and collaborations in Music, Marketing and Fashion.
Highly skilled in creating and developing concepts and strategically implementing them on a big scale Stephane is also a Music rights and licensing expert.
Akotchaye Okio
International Development Officer for Africa
Akotchaye Okio
“Tchayé” is the International Development Officer for Africa for Sacem.
Alongside African stakeholders and international actors who intervene on the continent, he advocates copyright enforcement and strive to improve royalties collection and distribution, whilst defending and promoting African creators and publishers.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND:
Tchayé has been involved in the music industry for 20 years. Starting out as an artist and musician myself, He later went on to work as an entrepreneur within the cultural space in Africa, making my own contribution to the structural development of the sector within the region.
He has notably worked as a festival and TV talent show promoter, as well as editor of a cultural magazine. In addition, He was previously member of the Board of Directors at the National Artistic Ensemble of Benin and I served as Channel Manager Africa at Believe Distribution Services.
I have been based in France for several years and I continue to work closely with Africa.
Marc Nickts
General Manager Sacem Luxemburg