Atlantic Records CEO and Northeastern alum Elliot Grainge will deliver the 2025 commencement address to the university’s graduating class May 11, Northeastern announced Thursday.
While enrolled at Northeastern, Grainge co-founded Take Boston, a now-defunct nightlife promotion company, according to Billboard. He also formed Strainge Sessions, where he promoted Berklee College of Music students’ shows at local clubs and venues.
In the announcement, published in the university-run media outlet Northeastern Global News, or NGN, Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun called Grainge a “powerhouse.”
“His alma mater may not be far in the rearview mirror, but the path he has forged is remarkable,” Aoun told NGN. “We welcome him back to Northeastern to share his experience with our graduating students.”
Grainge relocated to Los Angeles upon graduating from Northeastern and turned Strainge Sessions into the independent record label 10K Projects in 2016, Billboard reported. In 2020, 10K Projects established 10K Together, a charitable branch of the company focused on fighting racial injustice and supporting Black-owned businesses. Three years later, Grainge joined Warner Music Group when the company acquired a majority stake in 10K Projects. That same year, Grainge married model and social media star Sofia Richie — the daughter of musician Lionel Richie.
In October 2024, at 30 years old, Grainge took over as CEO of Atlantic Records, which was founded in 1947 and has represented some of the most well-known contemporary music artists, such as Charli XCX, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran and Kehlani, who headlined Northeastern’s Springfest concert in March.
“Returning to Northeastern to speak at commencement is really meaningful to me,” Grainge told NGN. “This university and my experience in Boston in general helped shape not only the way I think about business and creativity but helped me build a foundation as an independent thinker and entrepreneur.”
Grainge is the son of Sir Lucian Grainge, the CEO of Universal Music Group and a member of Northeastern’s Board of Trustees. Lucian Grainge was named as a defendant in a lawsuit against rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs in March 2024, which alleged that he aided and abetted Combs’ sexual misconduct by sponsoring gatherings of underage girls. Lucian Grainge was dismissed from the lawsuit last October.
At 31 years old, Elliot Grainge is one of the youngest commencement speakers in recent years. David A. Thomas, the president of Morehouse College in Atlanta, stepped up as last year’s commencement speaker after NASA astronaut Pam Melroy could not attend due to illness. Past speakers include Minted founder Mariam Naficy in 2023, Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya in 2022 and former Director of U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Rochelle Walensky in 2021.
“I’m so excited to share my experience with the Class of 2025 and encourage them to trust their own vision as they move on to the next chapter of their lives,” Elliot Grainge told NGN.
The 2025 undergraduate commencement ceremony is set for 4 p.m. on May 11 at Fenway Park.