Leslie Fram

Kown for her hit intuition, her knack for breaking new artists and her tireless work ethic, Leslie Fram was one of the most influential tastemakers in Rock radio when she received a careerchanging phone call in 2011 from a former boss & mentor Brian Philips, asking her to move to Nashville to become the Senior Vice President of Music & Talent at CMT. Now some 13 years later, she’s cemented her status as a true trailblazer in country music, particularly in her passionate support of female artists, creating programs like “CMT Next Women of Country,” which has helped kickstart the careers of over 100 female artists over the past 10 years; and “Equal Play,” an initiative that ensures 50/50 representation, male/female, in all video hours on CMT-owned properties. Her unwavering commitment to gender equality continues with Change The Conversation, an organization she co-founded with Tracy Gershon and Beverly Keel to provide support, education and community for female country artists. In 2022, she deepened her commitment to leveling the playing field for all underrepresented groups in country music when she and mtheory’s Cameo Carlson launched “Equal Access” – a groundbreaking development program for artists and managers that aims to better diversify the industry pipeline. She’s been recognized as Billboard’s Country Executive of the Year and been named to their prestigious “Women in Music” and “Country Power Player” lists. She serves on a variety of boards including Nashville Music Equality, The Recording Academy, The Grammy TV Committee, and Save The Music, and she’s an alum of Leadership Music Class of 2014. She was the very first woman to receive the TJ Martell Award in recognition of outstanding performance in the music industry, and is the recipient of the 2022 CMA Media Achievement Award; and is a Lifetime Achievement Inductee in the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame.