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Head of Music, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 1 and 1Xtra

George Ergatoudis was appointed Head of Music, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 1 in October 2005, and added 1Xtra to his remit in April 2009.

With 20 years of experience in the radio industry, George has an in-depth knowledge and passion for contemporary music across genres, an excellent music industry reputation and a gift for spotting new music talent. He was nominated for a prestigious Sony Radio Music Programming Award in 2009.

Prior to being Head of Music, George managed 1Xtra's music policy (2000-2005) and was responsible for championing key UK talent such as Dizzee Rascal, Jay Sean, Wiley and Ms Dynamite, alongside major US artists such as 50 Cent, Pharrell and The Game.

Before moving into music strategy George was a producer, working at Radio 1 (1997-2000), producing the likes of Jo Whiley and Simon Mayo.

Previously at Kiss 100 FM (1991-1997), he served as a senior producer looking after their specialist and weekend output and, later, all the daytime shows. While at Kiss, George won a Sony Gold Award for producing Steve Jackson's Breakfast Show.

George was a producer at Radio 1 in 1990, after a stint working for Island Records as Club Promotions Manager at the urban/dance label, 4th & Broadway. He joined the label after his first spell at Radio 1 – when he had been recruited as a trainee producer for the station in 1989. During that time he scooped a Sony award for his Radio 1 documentary Last Night A DJ Saved My Life: A History Of The Remix.

After graduating from Sheffield University in 1986 with a BA (Hons) in Architecture, George started up and co-edited Signs magazine, a Sheffield entertainment and lifestyle title.

George has served as a judge on the prestigious Mercury Prize since 2007. He regularly appears on music industry panels and was a keynote panellist at Musexpo LA 2010.