‘You have to be ambitious to reach the top’

Having worked her way up in the international live music business to the top position at Mojo in the Netherlands, no one better understands how to shatter the glass ceiling than Kim Bloem.

Over the course of her illustrious 25-year career, the Dutch stalwart has promoted shows with the likes of Beyoncé, Madonna, Rosalìa, P!NK, Drake and Olivia Rodrigo, worked in venues such as Ziggo Dome and AFAS Live, and programmed festivals including North Sea Jazz Festival.

As of January 2024, Bloem alongside Ruben Brouwer and Ronny Hooch Antink have been responsible for the management of Mojo, following the departure of former CEO John Mulder.

But as a woman and a mother, Bloem’s formidable career in the live music industry has been hard won. On the eve of International Women’s Day, she tells IQ how the next-generation of women business leaders could have a smoother ride to the C-suite.

Tell us a few issues the industry needs to address to become a better place for women?
First of all, I think during these last 20-25 years since I have started working, a LOT has changed already thanks to all the efforts of a lot of people. In the beginning of my career the industry was dominated by the men who have actually built this industry. So it was quite logical that amongst those men, the “old” habits such as making crude or offensive jokes or comments about others including women was ‘normal’. And those old habits were taught to the younger people coming up in those years, so the system maintained itself. And those comments and jokes emphasise unnecessarily the difference between men and women. Nowadays we should not accept that anymore, but it still happens and creates an unsafe space in some cases. The simple solution to it would be to not laugh about a joke somebody makes, but say, publicly and in a nice way, “Hey, we should not be saying that anymore, shouldn’t we,” and move on and make a better joke. And no mansplaining anymore…. PLEASE! Making the workspace a safe environment would add to the creativity and the productivity of actually everybody, men and women.

“Some people believe that internal competition is beneficial to the result, but I think the opposite”

You’re still among a minority of super senior women in the industry, what are the barriers to getting more women in the C-suite?
I think one of the main ones is when you are at a point to start a family. There are then choices to be made, or simply the choice is being made for you, and everything depends on the way you CAN and WANT to figure this out. I have been lucky to have a mom who wanted to babysit, now already for 15 years. My husband chose to not become a practicing musician, but loved working in a record store – and still does – but not full time. We discussed it together, and were in the lucky position to make the choice of how we did it.

Secondly you need to be offered the chances that I have been offered. And that is dependant on a mix of being at the right time and right place, how the company you work for is developing, whether other people see you as the next gen, or as internal competition. I have been very lucky to work with people at MOJO who have helped me stepping up. I worked hard, and they let me instead of stopping me. It was in their interest that I could grow within the company. Some people believe that internal competition is beneficial to the result, that people would work harder to earn the most, but I think the opposite. If you have a great example in your team, you want to get that approval, be as good as him or her, and together create a great result that contributes to the company, and not to you personally. And last but not least, you really have to work hard, very hard to get there and be ambitious, but in the right way. That’s not to be seen as a barrier, but people sometimes forget that this is the number one need.

“Provisions like flexible hours and working from home very much helped me when I became a parent”

As a woman and a mother, what provisions would have improved your experience of the industry?
Provisions like flexible hours and working from home very much helped me when I became a parent. I did have my babysitter at home (my mum), so I could work because with a baby at home you can’t really work, and that gave me a lot of rest. I could go to shows in the night, and unlike some friends did not have to be in the office at 9 am in the morning. When I was working at the North Sea Jazz festival, my parents would babysit nearby, come to the festival so I could breastfeed my son, and that three times during the day back and forth!

Did you have any female mentors that helped you progress in the industry?
I spoke a lot with my colleague and friend Nicoline de Kock at MOJO, who encouraged me from time to time to for instance ask what I deserve in both work, career development etc. We discussed difficult issues, we both knew exactly why we had to work harder being a woman in the industry in order to prove ourselves, but both did not mind.

You, Anna Sjölund and Kelly Chappell have maintained a strong friendship over the years. How important has it been to have a group of senior women to rely on?
I think it’s extremely important. Kelly, Anna and myself have had lengthy conversations of how we move around for instance inside the group of promoters, tour buyers, help each other, support each other, being a listening ear, and also introduce one another to other people in the network. Live Nation has been very supportive of women and acknowledged the importance of a diverse company. We have had inspiring days of sessions where all women could get in contact with senior women and vice versa. We were present in meetings, made ourselves known and contribute to discussions which should be an example to others as well.

“Every study (for any industry actually) shows the importance of the need of having a diverse and representative team”

Is there anything that you’re personally doing to support and encourage women in this industry?
I try to be an example, inspire them by asking questions about what they want to become and push them for grabbing the chances at the right time.

Why is it important for the live music industry to be diverse and representative?
I think every study (for any industry actually) shows the importance of the need of having a diverse and representative team. It simply is better for financial results, for making the workplace a better one that leads to a more (mental) healthier environment, less sick leaves, etc. This may sound like “my soft skills” (and I can see some people rolling their eyes) but if there are leaders leading by example and do the right thing, in the end the world will be a better place.

For the music industry specifically, I feel it’s of great importance as artists and the fans who relate to them, also have a role in leading by example. This means that we as promoters, agents, managers, tour managers, production managers, marketeers, ticketers, etc, act with respect to each other and listen to each other with only that same goal in mind, this reflects upon the fans and, again, the world as a whole. I know some artists focus on having a full female crew because that works better for them. I can imagine it does, but in my opinion ultimately it needs to be a 50-50 situation as that is how the world is turning, and only then there can be mutual respect. Don’t leave out men!

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