Jeremy Sirota, Global Music Executive and Fencing Parent, Named to the USA Fencing Board of Directors

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Jeremy Sirota knows the power of fencing firsthand. Eight years ago, he enrolled his daughter Francis in foil classes at the Fencers Club in New York City. What began as one lesson turned into a front-row seat to the commitment, discipline and resilience the sport instills in young athletes. That passion inspired Sirota to join the Fencers Club's Board of Directors and, now, the USA Fencing Board of Directors.

Sirota currently serves as a non-voting member of the Board and will be elevated to voting member status on Sept. 1, 2026, when his four-year term begins. His appointment follows a thorough selection process by the USA Fencing Nominating Committee and a vote by the USA Fencing Board of Directors.

“My daughter Francis has fenced foil at Fencers Club for eight years under the extraordinary coaching of Irene and Simon Gershon. I've watched this sport shape her in ways I couldn't have imagined when she started,” Sirota says. “That's what drew me to this role. I want more families to have that experience. I'm eager to bring my background in scaling global membership organizations to help USA Fencing create more pathways for young people to discover what fencing can give them.”

Sirota brings a wide-ranging career to USA Fencing's Board. He was recently appointed Chief Commercial Officer at Suno, a music company building the next generation of creative entertainment. Prior to that, he served as CEO of Merlin, the global digital music licensing partner that negotiates licensing deals on behalf of more than 450 members representing 30,000 independent record labels in over 70 countries. During his six-year tenure, Sirota more than doubled Merlin's revenue to $1.8 billion, grew its membership by more than 100 new members, forged strategic partnerships with platforms including Apple, Spotify, Twitch and YouTube, and brokered the music industry's first significant generative AI licensing deal with ElevenLabs. He also oversaw the buildout of Merlin's technology infrastructure, launching two platforms — Bridge, a digital delivery system, and Connect, an API-driven licensing tool for startups — and constructing a data warehouse from scratch.

Merlin is a member-led, member-owned and member-governed organization, and Sirota's experience navigating that structure offers a direct parallel to his new role at USA Fencing. During his tenure, he worked alongside 37 unique board members from 17 countries across three board compositions, balancing competing regional interests, cultural perspectives and business priorities within a democratic governance framework.

Before leading Merlin, Sirota served on Meta's music team, where he led efforts to license recorded music rights from independent labels and distributors worldwide, enabling music features across Facebook, Instagram, Oculus and Messenger. He spent nine years at Warner Music Group, rising to senior vice president and head of business and legal affairs for the Warner Elektra-Alliance (WEA) division and Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA). He began his career as a technology attorney at Morrison Foerster.

Sirota has been recognized by Billboard Magazine as an Indie Power Player, International Power Player and Power List honoree and Merlin was named to Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies 2025 list. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Sirota also holds a J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.

Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Fencing, expressed his excitement for Sirota's appointment.

“Jeremy Sirota is a proven leader whose track record of growing global membership organizations and navigating complex industries will be an incredible asset to USA Fencing,” Andrews says. “Even better is his personal connection to our sport. He's seen firsthand the impact fencing has on young athletes through his daughter's journey.”