Jigar Thakarar

An entertainment industry professional with several decades of marketing experience, Jigar Thakarar has served as managing director of marketing and partnerships with California-based MusiCares, The Recording Academy, since 2020. In addition to helping the company meet annual fundraising goals, Jigar Thakarar creates strategic partnerships to improve audience engagement and oversees marketing budgets.

Before joining MusiCares, Mr. Thakarar spent 6 years with United Entertainment Group as the vice president of talent and influencers. One of just two employees selected to help launch the company’s London office, he led business development across the United Kingdom and helped negotiate the Kellogg’s Olympics athlete sponsorship program for the Olympic games in 2014, 2016, and 2018.

Mr. Thakarar holds a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated in just 3.5 years. As part of his undergraduate studies, he took park in a semester at sea program that allowed him to visit 10 countries.