Simon Cowell has worked in the music industry for 28 years. He started out in the postroom at EMI Music Publishing, but after launching his own label at the age of 23, he joined BMG in 1989 and began a professional relationship so far spanning 20 years.

During his time at BMG, Simon has sold over 150 million records and has had over 70 No. 1 records in America and the UK. His artists include Westlife – whose first seven singles all went to UK No. 1, opera quartet Il Divo, whose first two albums have collectively sold 20 million copies worldwide and Leona Lewis whose album ‘Spirit’ became biggest selling debut album of all time in 2007. His music label SyCo Music has also sold over 50 million American Idol themed albums in the past 4 years alone including
those of Grammy Award winner Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Carrie Underwood.

Simon Cowell’s trademark candor and eye for talent during his last five seasons on The American Idol has made him a household name both in the United States and in the UK on The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent.

Cowell, through his leading UK-based media and entertainment company, SyCo, recently became the first producer to simultaneously have the #1 program in the UK and U.S. as Britain’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent topped the TV charts in the same week in 2007. Cowell is also the creator and executive producer of American Inventor and America’s Got Talent, in addition to serving as a celebrity judge on American Idol, The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent.

The X Factor, is currently producing its fifth series and has won a BAFTA award for two years running. It has also won Entertainment Show Of The Year at the National Television Awards.

Britain’s Got Talent second series this year achieved record viewing figures of over 13 million and saw its winner George Sampson (a schoolboy from Warrington) become a teen dancing sensation. Got Talent is Europe’s leading Entertainment format and the fastest selling format worldwide. Simon Cowell currently has over 10 new series in production and development for television worldwide.

Cowell was recently ranked 3rd on the Forbes TV Faces list and 21st on the 2007 Forbes Celebrity 100 Power List. In 2006, Cowell was named 2006 UK Personality of the Year by Variety and in 2004 was named one of
the Top Entertainers of the Year by Entertainment Weekly.