Brussels, 7th March 2025

As the IMPALA EDI task force marks its fifth anniversary, along with the launch of the EDI Charter, we sat down with Eva Karman Reinhold, co-chair of the EDI task force, for a conversation on International Women’s Day. With this year’s theme, Accelerate Action, emphasising the urgency of advancing gender equality, she reflects on the journey so far, sharing insights into IMPALA’s achievements, the challenges faced, key lessons learned, and her vision for the future of IMPALA’s EDI task force.

Looking back over the last five years, what are the main achievements of IMPALA’s EDI taskforce?

Eva Karman Reinhold: “One of the main achievements of the task force includes making sure diversity and inclusion issues are mainstreamed in all our work by having a diversity advocate in each committee and working group. The other area where I think we have made the most impact is through free training for members.”

What challenges has the taskforce faced, and how has IMPALA overcome them?

Eva Karman Reinhold: “The main challenge is the small size of many members, which makes it hard to implement major changes. IMPALA addressed this by providing tailored guidance that even small businesses can follow. We also learnt that it’s important to highlight the business case for diversity via social media, reports, and direct communication with members.”

How do you envisage the future of EDI within IMPALA in the fifth year of the EDI Charter and what are the next steps to achieve greater impact?

Eva Karman Reinhold: “IMPALA plans to help members track their EDI progress with a new EU-funded tool, inspired by the carbon calculator. We think it will be added to the IMPALA members’ toolbox. We are also working on an online platform which will help members access free training materials adapted to the music sector whenever they need them. I am also thrilled to be working with Ben Wynter, from AIM (the UK Association of Independent Music), as Co-Chair. He brings a great amount of guidance and experience to the task force, and I look forward to working together to drive meaningful change.”

Tell us about IMPALA’s Changemaker Award which spotlights EDI projects and organisations making a difference. If you could pick one or two winners, which would they be?

Eva Karman Reinhold: “The idea for this came about because we wanted to be able to tell positive stories and highlight the amazing work being done at different levels, and different countries. For me, I would pick the very first winner, Power Up. The way the project was set up and how it is run is a real example for other countries. In a recent meeting of our task force, we flagged that it would be amazing if each country could have their own equivalent.”

What role will the taskforce play in the future, to ensure that EDI remains one of the key priorities for IMPALA and the independent music sector, particularly in the context of societal developments and diversity fatigue?

Eva Karman Reinhold: “The task force will remain critical to IMPALA‘s work. A few months ago we had a brainstorming session at our AGM in Bucharest, where we reset our priorities, and the grant we have from the EU will mean new tools to help. Diversity fatigue is one of the key issues for the task force to address. We covered that in last year’s annual report and again this year.”

About IMPALA

IMPALA was established in 2000 and now represents over 6000 independent music companies in Europe. 99% of Europe’s music companies are small, micro and medium businesses and self-releasing artists. Known as the independents, they are world leaders in terms of innovation and discovering new music and artists – they produce more than 80% of all new releases and account for 80% of the sector’s jobs. IMPALA’s mission is to grow the independent music sector sustainably, return more value to artists, promote diversity and entrepreneurship, improve political access, inspire change, and increase access to finance. IMPALA works on a range of key issues for its members and started a new co-funded work programme as an EU cultural network in 2025. IMPALA runs various award schemes and has a programme aimed at businesses who want to develop a strategic relationship with the European independent sector – Friends of IMPALA