Foster named chairman of Verve Music

Veteran producer and music exec David Foster has been named chairman of Universal Music Group's Verve Music Group. Based in L.A., Foster will report to UMG chairman-CEO Lucian Grainge. Foster will head creative operations of the unit, with a focus on signing new talent and developing Verve's roster of adult and pop acts. Verve's creative team will include senior VPs of A&R Jay Landers and Jaymes Foster, producer-engineer Jochem van der Saag and VP of A&R Dahlia Ambach Caplin. A 16-time Grammy winner, three-time Oscar nominee and Emmy and Golden Globe honoree, Foster has worked as a producer, songwriter and arranger with Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, Cher, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson, among many others. Among his productions is the top-selling soundtrack for "The Bodyguard." He previously operated Warner Bros.' boutique imprint 143 Records, where he signed the Corrs. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com