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Cast of The York School Play, Matilda
Alumni Spotlight: Emma Thompson-Murphy ‘11
Emma Thompson-Murphy ‘11 remembers that the essay she wrote for Mr. Paris’s American History class in Grade 9 was much more than an opportunity to learn about the life of an influential person. She says researching the career of Malcolm McLaren, who managed bands like the New York Dolls, expanded her knowledge of jobs in the music industry and “kick-started her desire to become an artist manager.”
During her five years at York, the school’s IB framework and extracurricular program gave Emma many opportunities to explore her interests. She acted in school plays, served on student council, and played on the ultimate frisbee, basketball, volleyball and soccer teams. Supportive teachers who challenged her to reach her fullest potential were the common thread through all her experiences.
With her sights on a career in the music business, Emma completed a degree in Honours Economics and Musicology at Dalhousie University. After graduation, volunteered at music festivals in Morocco, Australia and the Netherlands. Volunteering at Oasis, a music festival in Marrakech, led to paid positions with the festival as a production assistant and associate director. As she planned and executed the festival and managed a team of 150 people, being able to think on her feet was essential. “When someone comes up to you with a problem, you have to be creative and level-headed and fix it then and there,” she says.
With her sights on a career in the music business, Emma completed a degree in Honours Economics and Musicology at Dalhousie University. After graduation, volunteered at music festivals in Morocco, Australia and the Netherlands. Volunteering at Oasis, a music festival in Marrakech, led to paid positions with the festival as a production assistant and associate director. As she planned and executed the festival and managed a team of 150 people, being able to think on her feet was essential. “When someone comes up to you with a problem, you have to be creative and level-headed and fix it then and there,” she says.
Emma relocated to the UK to work for Oasis. In addition to her job with the festival, she
worked for an artist management and talent booking agency where she created the artist management division and managed musicians. “As an artist manager you’re looking after their strategy and helping to run their album campaigns and negotiate their contracts – basically you’re handling anything related to their career,” she says. She was doing exactly what she’d dreamed of during her York days.
Emma felt it was important to explore career options beyond the music industry so she completed an MBA at INSEAD. This led to a pivot to management consulting, where she provided strategic advice to clients in the life sciences, utilities, defence and telecommunications industries. She soon realized that she missed the creativity of working in the music industry.
Today Emma works at Airwallex, a global financial technology company, where she leads the partnerships team across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, in addition to working with clients in the music and entertainment industries.
Wherever her career takes her in the future, the skills she first fostered at York will serve her well. “York taught me how to tackle a problem that you've never seen before. It's a mindset; you learn how to break something down into parts,” she says.
