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GYRO.Group Taps Digital Veteran Henry Compton for APAC Push
GYRO.Group names Henry Compton head of APAC for DistroDirect as the company expands across Asia, Brazil and its wider global team.
BRISBANE, Australia — GYRO.Group is stepping into its next stretch of growth with a round of leadership changes led by digital distribution veteran Henry Compton, who has been appointed head of APAC for DistroDirect, the company’s white-label distribution platform.
Announced Wednesday, May 13, Compton arrives with more than 20 years across business development, marketing and client relations. His most recent posts were senior roles at The Orchard and FUGA, where he handled business development, go-to-market strategy and client acquisition and retention across Australia and New Zealand.
Henry Compton
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GYRO.Group says DistroDirect has been widening its reach in South-East Asia, including recent deals with several major independent music companies in the Philippines. That regional push now has a new point person in Compton, who group chief commercial officer Matthew Rogers describes as “exactly the caliber of executive we’ve been building towards bringing into the DistroDirect fold.”
“His track record of building and scaling operations in this market is second to none. Having Henry lead that charge in APAC gives us enormous confidence about what’s ahead — both for the partners we serve in those markets and for the Australian artists we want to bring with us.”
The appointments do not stop there. A number of internal promotions have also been made across the business. Adrian Burke adds executive vice president of artist services and A&R to his role after leading GROUP SPEED, GYRO.Group’s artist services arm, since its launch and working with artists including Dom Dolla, Mariah Carey and Swedish House Mafia.
Elsewhere, Alison Bremner has been elevated to general manager, marketing, with oversight of brand development across the company’s portfolio worldwide. Harry Young becomes head of A&R for AU/NZ after joining in late 2025, while Alexandria Thomson steps up as artist marketing lead for Australasia. Claire Hirayama-Kaarsberg is now a partner relations manager within DistroDirect, Alyssa d’Artenay moves into pitching and artist services management, and Kriza Canzon takes on an expanded artist support and compliance role.
Vivienne Mellish, GYRO.Group’s CMO and co-founder, said the wider shake-up reflects the company’s own momentum.
“The wider team changes,” she explains, “are a reflection of the growth and ambition of the people in our corner and we couldn’t be prouder to have them with us on the journey.”
With Compton on board, GYRO.Group’s global team now numbers more than 70. The label services and digital distribution specialist says it has picked up five ARIA No. 1 albums this year, including Keli Holiday’s Capital Fiction and Tom Busby’s Rockhampton Hangover.
CEO and co-founder Andy Irvine framed the reshuffle as part of a bigger long game, tying staffing, expansion and tech development to the company’s core aim.
“We are doubling down on our investment in Australian artists and in the people and platforms it takes to get them heard globally,” comments Andy Irvine, CEO and co-founder of GYRO.Group. “Our goal is to be the biggest net exporter of Australian music, and every decision we are making right now — who we hire, where we expand, what technology we build — is pointed directly at that.”
The move follows closely behind the opening of GYRO.Group’s Latin American office in Brazil on Friday, March 27, which is led by Samuel Fernandes. It also comes after last year’s appointment of veteran independent music executive Matthew Rogers as CCO, with responsibility for DistroDirect globally, and a broader rebrand that brought together the group’s music distribution and artist services brands, including G.Y.R.O., DistroDirect, GROUP SPEED, Soothe Sounds and more.
