Jason Ellis, a longtime stalwart of UMG U.K. dance imprint Positiva Records, has been elevated to Managing Director of the imprint. The promotion arrives after recent success with Martin Solveig, Jonas Blue and Marshmello & Bastille.

Ellis started his career in the EMI sales team in 1995 and was named A&R Manager for Positiva in 1999. The following two years were among the label’s most successful whilst under the leadership of Kevin Robinson, and the duo had hits with Fragma, Vengaboys, Alice Deejay and Spiller & Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

After taking the helm from Robinson in 2001, Ellis steered the label through the rocky file-sharing period, after which big singles from The Shapeshifters, Room 5, The Ones, Deep Dish and Axwell helped to reinstate Positiva’s position. After moving to Virgin in 2009,Ellis was at the forefront of the EDM explosion. He played a key role in breaking David Guetta in the UK, A&R'd deadmau5 and signed Swedish House Mafia.

Since joining Universal in 2012 after the EMI merger, Ellis signed Avicii to Positiva in the U.K., and had continued commercial successwith Armin van Buuren, David Zowie and Martin Garrix, alongside those mentioned above.

Ellis' promotion coincides with Positiva celebrating its third U.K. top 5 single of the summer courtesy of Marshmello & Bastille. He continues in his role as A&R Director for Virgin EMI Records, with a roster that includes Duke Dumont, Gorgon City, Sub Focus and Wilkinson.

“Even though the parent company has evolved through several guises, Jason has at all times remained focused on identifying the very best records, and alongside the teams that he nurtures so well, has helped deliver hits consistently across the years,” Virgin EMI President Ted Cockle said.