24 YEARS OF HISTORY
Founded in 1998 by José Pascual and Lenny Krarup, the DJ Awards is the original and most respected honour in global dance music. For over 24 years it has celebrated real excellence on the dancefloor, not popularity contests or pay to play voting. While things like the DJ Mag Top 100 have become widely seen as advertising driven and disconnected from the culture, the DJ Awards has always been the real deal. For 19 years it owned Ibiza’s closing week at Pacha, welcoming icons like Daft Punk, Fernandisco, Pete Tong, Basement Jaxx and Carl Cox, before celebrating its twentieth anniversary at Hï Ibiza. This award can’t be bought, can’t be gamed and can’t be faked. It is respected because the artists themselves show up, collect their awards in person and treat it as the one that actually matters. DJ Awards is the OG voice of the culture and the only award that truly reflects the people, the dancefloor and the industry it represents.
THE DJ AWARDS TEAM
Andrew Grant
CHAIRMAN
Andrew Grant is a Scottish entrepreneur with a global portfolio of tech investments spanning healthcare, payments, and music. He is the founder of FonoTech, a next-generation record label; PridePulse, a global payment platform for Pride events; Y2Q, a POS and queue management system; HELMA, an AI-powered care scheduling and service-matching platform; NHS.FM, a music streaming app for the UK healthcare sector; and Bold Minds, a YouTube channel inspiring a new generation of entrepreneurs to build better businesses. With over 25 years in senior leadership across multiple industries, Andrew is perfectly positioned to drive the DJ Awards forward and deliver the ambitious growth plans set out in the investor deck.
Lenny Krarup
FOUNDER
Lenny Ibizarre is a Danish producer and Ibiza music pioneer whose work has shaped the island’s sound for more than two decades. A multi platinum artist with over 1.5 million album sales, he is known for The Ambient Collection series and remixes for icons like Bob Marley, The Doors and Nat King Cole. As a DJ he has held residencies at Café Del Mar, Pacha, Amnesia, Privilege and Kumharas, becoming one of the defining names of Ibiza’s chilled and progressive scene. In 1997 he founded Ibizarre Records and co created the DJ Awards with José Pascual, helping establish the awards as a global benchmark for electronic music.
James Huddleston
DIRECTOR
James Huddleston is a nightlife entrepreneur and founder of Gospël, the landmark SoHo club redefining global nightlife. With over two decades shaping New York’s scene from the Jane Hotel Ballroom to The Box , he brings deep industry relationships with top artists, venues and luxury brands. His vision for Gospël fuses cutting-edge music programming with elevated hospitality, helping the brand become a destination for global talent and culture. With James at the helm, the DJ Awards gains not just access to elite nightlife infrastructure but a trail-blazed platform of influence across music and experiential luxury.
Merrit Bayer
DIRECTOR
Merritt Baer is a seasoned executive and creative producer with a proven track record in delivering large-scale cultural events that blend entertainment, technology, and brand storytelling. Born in the USA and now based between New York, London, and Barcelona, he is an Emmy Award-winning Broadway producer and tech entrepreneur who founded TodayTix and grew it into one of the world’s leading theatre ticketing platforms. He recently acquired Secret Cinema, the immersive experience company that brings iconic films to life on a global stage. With experience across music festivals, live television, and high-profile brand activations, Merritt will lead the production of a made-for-TV show based on the DJ Awards event.
Mark Netto
DIRECTOR
Mark Netto is a powerhouse in the electronic music industry, with over two decades of experience in event management, artist representation, and music strategy. As co-founder of the International Music Summit (IMS) and former Events Manager at Pacha where he worked for 13 ytears, he helped launch legendary Ibiza residencies and book A-list artists like Swedish House Mafia, Calvin Harris, and David Guetta. Through Ibiza Collective and IBZ Entertainment, he has led groundbreaking festivals and events worldwide. With deep industry knowledge and a vast global network, Mark continues to push boundaries in music, entertainment, and brand collaborations.
Jenn Cochrane
OPERATIONS
DIRECTOR
Jennifer Cochrane is a new addititon to the team bringing over 25 years of experience in dance music, starting her career as a promoter for Renaissance, the Nottingham-based global superclub brand. As Senior Talent Booker at Exit Festival and Senior Programmer & Talent Booker for XP Music Futures (MDLBEAST Festival, Saudi Arabia), she oversees artist acquisition, contracting, and complex multi-stage scheduling from brief to showtime. A founder of Work Inspired and co-founder and CEO of Getahead, Jenn combines deep industry relationships with calm operational excellence, delivering high-pressure festivals, conferences, and brand activations with precision and impact.
Julie Pallisco
FINANCE
DIRECTOR
Julie Pallisco is Finance Director at the DJ Awards, bringing over 20 years of experience across finance, administration and operations in the private sector. Highly trusted and detail driven, Julie oversees all financial management including payments, reconciliations, reporting, payroll, VAT and PAYE, while working closely with external accountants and senior leadership. Known for her calm, organised approach and ability to manage complex workloads, she plays a central role in keeping the business running smoothly behind the scenes, allowing creative and commercial teams to focus on growth and delivery.
Richard Squire
COMMERCIAL
DIRECTOR
Richard is a commercial and marketing strategist with deep experience driving partnerships and revenue growth for brands across the UK, USA and Europe. After senior roles leading multi channel marketing for Shackleton, NBCUniversal and the London Transport Museum, he founded Retina, working globally across fashion, hospitality and culture to deliver brand partnerships, digital growth and high impact campaigns. Known for his hands on approach and strong industry network, Richard has launched major cultural events, secured high value collaborations and delivered measurable ROI for clients at scale. At DJ Awards, he brings sharp commercial focus and proven sponsorship expertise to grow the brand’s global partner portfolio and expand its international footprint.
Mark Hutchison
HEAD
OF MARKETING
Mark has been at DJ Awards for 12 months not and is a seasoned digital strategist, project manager, and innovation lead with a career spanning top agencies and global brands for over 10 yeas. Starting at a tech start-up in Glasgow, he moved to London to work with FITCH and BD Network, leading digital project delivery for Diageo, Coca-Cola, Peugeot, Nintendo, Cadbury, and Corona. At Phantom, he managed high-profile projects for Google, Sony Music, and the Financial Times. With over a decade of experience, Mark has driven campaign management, digital innovation, content strategy, event execution, and app development, overseeing multi-agency collaborations for world-class clients.
Martin Fernandez Pola
COMMERCIAL
DIRECTOR
Martin is a social media strategist and event producer with experience across festivals, clubs and artist management in Europe and South America. He has worked on bookings, logistics and content for platforms like Resident Advisor, Brunch Electronik and Solid Grooves, bringing a mix of digital creativity and on the ground delivery. For the 2025 DJ Awards he led the social campaign, growing public voting from 21,000 to more than 24,500 and driving a big uplift in engagement across all channels. At DJ Awards he supports social strategy, content and community growth as the brand expands globally.
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