Claire Leadbitter, Artist Manager

After University, Claire was offered temping work in London, thanks to her typing skills. She was placed with WEA Records, even though back then she had no idea what a record company was. Despite her initial lack of experience, she turned out to be a natural, and stayed with WEA for the next five years.

From there, she moved to ZTT Records as a Label Manager looking after several acts, one of which was Irish band, The Frames. When she had her first daughter, Claire decided to leave ZTT. The next day she got a phone call from The Frames asking if she would come on board as their manager. Because it meant she could work from home, and combine the job with raising her daughter, Claire said yes.

Twenty years later, she is still managing The Frames and has also added other acts and personalities to her roster - Glen Hansard, Lisa O’Neill, Markéta Irglová, Mary Reynolds, The Swell Season and Ruth Evans, Though Claire loves her job, if she was to choose her career all over again, she’d become a wildlife photographer. When she was starting out, it wasn’t an option, or if it was, it wasn’t one she had ever heard of.

Photo: Beta Bajgart