Warner Music UK yesterday announced it has hired the services of Bill Holland, the former boss of Universal Classics & Jazz, to be an A&R Consultant advising in particular on classical and 'cross-over' jazz projects, and some bigger pop ventures.

In his four decades in the record industry, Holland worked for various major labels, and in the nineties spent time at Warner Music where he launched the Warner Classics imprint and help master the Three Tenors phenomenon. At UCJ he worked with the likes of Jamie Cullum, Andrea Bocelli, Diana Krall, Katherine Jenkins and Russell Watson. He stepped down from a full time role at UCJ in 2006.

Confirming Holland's new advisory role with Warner UK, the major's CEO Christian Tattersfield told CMU: "Bill identifies great artists, irrespective of genre, and knows how best to market them to UK and global audiences of all ages and tastes. His focus on developing long-term careers makes him a great fit with Warner Music and we look forward to working with him".

Holland himself added: "This is a superb opportunity to become involved with an iconic label, with world-class artists and outstanding people. I'm especially excited to be working in the Rhino and WME teams".