Neil Portnow
United Kingdomformer CEOMale2.0Global Dominance: 0.00%Neil Portnow is a former president and CEO of the Recording Academy, serving from 2002 until 2019. His tenure was marked by significant controversy, particularly regarding comments he made in 2018 about women's roles in the music industry during the #MeToo movement, which led to widespread criticism and a call for reform within the Academy. Following these events, Portnow's leadership was scrutinized as the organization sought to diversify its membership and voting body to better represent underrepresented communities in the music industry.
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Recent news mentions
Phoebe Bridgers condemned former Recording Academy boss Neil Portnow for his disparaging comments towards women in music.
‘She’s the voice of a really particular moment’: how Phoebe Bridgers became her generation’s defining songwriter | Phoebe BridgersUnited Kingdom· 2026-08-08
Neil Portnow was a previous CEO of the Recording Academy who made controversial comments about women.
Latin Grammy voting members invited to join Recording Academy | Entertainment
Jamaica· 2025-11-04
