The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) has appointed Simon Hutson as Chief Executive Officer. Simon will take up the role on February 9, 2026.
Simon brings more than 20 years of experience across publishing, media, and technology, with senior leadership roles at organizations including the BBC, Reuters, and Cision. Professional experience includes commercial leadership, stakeholder management, and strategic innovation across the creative industries.
Most recently, Simon led commercial activity at The Savings Group, working with publishers and digital platforms to strengthen content monetization. The role included work spanning licensing and copyright, along with engagement supporting publishers and creators.
The appointment comes as CLA continues to expand licensing solutions in response to rapid technological change and growing demand for lawful and responsible reuse of published content in emerging technologies. Generative AI has been identified as a key driver of change in how content is created, reused, and distributed.
CLA is preparing to launch a Generative AI Training Licence, designed to enable organizations developing AI systems to access published content responsibly and transparently. The initiative aligns with the United Kingdom gold-standard copyright framework and is positioned as part of CLA’s long-term strategy to support sustainable innovation while ensuring rightsholders are remunerated when published work is reused in new ways.
CLA leadership has emphasized that the appointment supports continued development of licensing solutions for member organizations, licensees, and partners in an increasingly digital and AI-enabled environment.
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