Catrin Drabble has been promoted to chief financial officer at Kobalt, replacing longtime CFO Tom Sansone effective April 15, the company announced Wednesday (March 16). Sansone, who replaced James Fitzherbert-Brockholes in the role back in mid-2016, will transition to an advisor role.

Drabble joined Kobalt in 2017 and most recently held the title of executive vp, corporate development and finance, where she oversaw the fine print for “hundreds of millions worth of signings and acquisitions,” the company said, and played a key role in reorganizing the financial planning and analysis team and the sale of AWAL and KNR to Sony for $430 million in 2021.

“Tom has been an incredible leader for Kobalt over the past six years and has led the business to be in the strongest financial shape it has ever seen,” said Kobalt CEO Laurent Hubert. “I am glad he will remain as a close advisor, and we all agree elevating Catrin was a natural next step for the company. Catrin has constantly been a high-performer with a deep understanding of music business economics. She has been the key leader in bridging finance and investment teams, as well as a critical part of our path to profitability.”

Tom Sansone

Sansone, who previously held top positions at Gilt Groupe and PriceWaterhouse Coopers, added that he was “proud to leave Kobalt in the strongest financial position it has ever been” and praised Drabble as a “perfect successor.”

Said Drabble, “Now is a pivotal time for Kobalt as we look to build on our recent profitable momentum, and I am proud to work alongside such a fantastic team in driving our company forward.”

As the soon-to-be former CFO and his successor alluded to in their remarks, Kobalt is coming off its first profitable year in the company’s 20-year history. In the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, Kobalt posted $5.8 million in net income on revenues of $519.4 million — up from a $66 million net loss and an 11.5% jump in revenue compared to 2020.

“Having hired Tom in 2016 and working closely with him since then, I have truly enjoyed his camaraderie both on a daily basis and during our bigger capital raises and transformative work. I thank him for his time at Kobalt,” said founder and chairman Willard Ahdritz. “I have always been impressed by Catrin’s extensive knowledge and work ethic while working with her in my capacity as CIO of Kobalt Capital, and seeing her growth over the last five years has been exciting. I am pleased that she will now take on the position of CFO.”