LONDON, November 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
- Music group hires Matthew
Hawn as Head of Product and Customer Experience
and Annie
Reading as Head of
People
Independent music company Audio Network today announces two
senior appointments. Matthew Hawn
joins as Head of Product and Customer Experience, and Annie Reading becomes Head of People. The new
roles have been created to meet increasing demand as the global
company enters a new chapter of growth.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151125/290923LOGO )
Matthew Hawn, who has previously
worked for Sony, Universal and Last.fm, will be responsible for the
evolution of Audio Network's customer experience and help drive its
digital, marketing and product development strategy. Hawn will work
closely with Audio Network's in-house development team to deliver
e-commerce revenue growth, and meet the demands of a new breed of
content creator, keen to amplify their creativity through Audio
Network's music.
Annie Reading joins Audio Network
as Head of People and brings over 20 years of industry experience
to the Audio Network community with extensive knowledge in
recruitment, compliance, HR transformation, coaching, and employee
relations. Reading will be responsible for Audio Network's 130
strong staff in its 8 offices around the world. The appointments
are the first under recently appointed CEO Chris Blakeston who will work closely with Annie
and Matthew, and coincides with the launch of a new brand identity
for the group. Both will be based in Audio Network's London HQ in
Farringdon, but will travel frequently to the company's sites
around the world.
Chris Blakeston CEO said,
"We're thrilled to welcome Annie
and Matthew to the Audio Network family as we embark on
this next chapter of growth. The
experience and passion they bring will be invaluable.
We've grown our business
by being nimble, pushing boundaries,
thinking creatively, and bringing in the very
best talent in the industry. Today
we're proud to call ourselves a global and
independent music company, working with talented composers and
artist all around the world to meet the same simple
promise; incredible music for use on any platform, anywhere
in the world, forever."
Matthew Hawn said,
"It's an exciting time to be part of a
global music company like Audio Network. The explosion of video on
so many screens and across so many channels has opened up amazing
opportunities for new creators and existing production companies.
Music is integral to the stories they are telling around the world
and we're going to focus on delivering them products
and services that are well-integrated with the tools they are
already using."
Annie Reading
said,
"I'm very proud to be part of the Audio Network
journey as it enters a new chapter. My key focus is to
maintain our creativity with the dedicated employees that we have;
allowing and encouraging our people to be the best they
can."
- Notes to editors
Matthew Hawn has been
working professionally in digital media for more than 20 years. He
started in San Francisco in the
earliest days of the World Wide Web, as one of the founders of
Macworld Online in 1994 and then joined MSNBC in
1996, working at the intersection of the internet and broadcast
journalism as a producer and on-air presenter. In 1998, he left
journalism to join the music industry as it began exploring digital
distribution and new product development. As part of the
global digital business team at Universal Music and Sony
Music in London and
New York, he defined new products
and opportunities with hundreds of digital music partners like
Apple, YouTube, Spotify and Vodafone. In 2010, he
joined Last.fm as VP for Product and Marketing, tripling the
innovative music service's audience on platforms like the Xbox and
mobile. Before joining Audio Network, Matthew also worked as a
digital product strategist for global companies like
Samsung, BBC and Microsoft to help them build
media and entertainment services.
Annie Reading has a
breadth of industry experience built over 20 years with both large
and small companies in a variety of industries, which include
Technology, Telecommunications and HR Consulting/HR Outsourcing.
Annie also has experience managing projects for clients, latterly
working for Viacom, Channel 5 and MTV.
About Audio Network
Audio Network is an independent music company, breaking down
boundaries to deliver authentic and creative music solutions to
content creators in every industry, all around the world. The
company collaborates with over 750 talented composers and artists,
and has over 100,000 tracks in its catalogue, carefully curated
into albums and playlists in every imaginable genre, all easily
discoverable via its website http://www.audionetwork.com
Audio Network's commitment to producing world-class music takes
it to some of the best recording facilities in the world. The
company works with globally renowned orchestras and composers so
that it can always honor their promise to put quality at the
forefront of their business.
Audio Network first disrupted the market landscape in 2001, by
offering a unique proposition to the media industry - a simple and
transparent model that allowed its music to be used on any
platform, anywhere in the world, forever. Since its inception 15
years ago, the business has grown exponentially. In fact, The
Sunday Times lists Audio Network as a one of the UK's fastest
growing companies (Tech Track 2011, 2012, 2013; Profit Track 100
2013, 2014 and 2015; SME Export track 2015). The company
continuously invests in its people, its music and its clients with
offices in London, LA,
New York, Toronto, Amsterdam, Sydney, Munich and Manchester, and over 130 dedicated music
advisers and aficionados working with the team.
Now under the leadership of new CEO Chris Blakeston and with the guidance of its
original founders Robert Hurst and
Andrew Sunnucks, that model remains
at the heart of the business as the company enters a new phase of
expansion.
Audio Network is ready to liberate its music to the rest of the
world with the same simple promise - incredible music for use on
any platform, anywhere in the world, forever.
For further information please contact:
Rachel Davidson |
Davidson PR LTD
m. +44(0)7714499709
e. rachel@davidsonpr.co.uk
w. http://www.davidsonpr.co.uk