Pub GuideMurphy, Helen
Helen Murphy is the president of International Media Services (IMS), a financial and strategic advisory firm for clients in the global media entertainment and arts industries. It was founded in 2004. Murphy is a seasoned strategic financial and operational executive with broad, top-level experience in media and entertainment. Murphy has played a key role in shaping major corporations as well as managing their key infrastructure. Prior to founding IMS, as executive vice president and chief financial officer for Warner Music Group (WMG), she played a pivotal role in Time Warner’s sale of WMG for approximately $2.6 billion, which created the world’s largest privately held independent music company. Murphy successfully orchestrated WMG’s exit from the recorded music manufacturing business, selling its DVD/CD manufacturing and physical-distribution businesses to Cinram International for $1.05 billion. At Warner Music Group, Murphy was responsible for the finance, human resources, business development, information technology and real estate functions for its vast network of global music assets. Prior to joining WMG, Murphy was chief financial and administrative officer for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc., where she led the company’s highly successful initial public offering. A native of Glasgow, Murphy is a chartered financial analyst (CFA), and has served on the faculty of the University of Guelph in Canada teaching corporate finance and financial management. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Guelph and a master’s from the University of Western Ontario. Murphy, married with two children, moved from Canada to the U.S. for career advancement in 1990. Her grandparents hailed from Co. Down, and she has traveled to Ireland twice. “My spirit comes from my Irish heritage and is with me every day in everything I do. That ‘can do’ and ‘work harder’ Irish attitude is responsible for my success and work ethic. I am proud to be Irish,” Murphy says.
