Shazam has appointed Rich Riley as its new Chief Executive Officer, as it continues its shift from music tagging into a global media engagement firm.
Shazam further announced that Andrew Fisher, who has lead Shazam as CEO since 2005, has been appointed to the newly created full-time position of Executive Chairman.
John Pearson who has been Chairman of the Board since 2006 will become a Non-Executive Director and remain on the board.
With Riley and Fisher in their new positions, and the recent hire of the BBC’s Daniel Danker as Chief Product Officer joining the existing executive team, Shazam now has put into place an executive leadership team that will accelerate the company’s growth trajectory while continuing to deliver innovation for Shazam’s products and services as the company pursues new market opportunities.
Shazam now has more than 300 million users in over 200 countries worldwide.
“I am extraordinarily excited to be joining the Shazam team. Andrew Fisher has assembled a world-class organization that has made Shazam a global consumer brand that provides an exceptional consumer experience and has set the stage for the company’s next phase of growth,” said Rich Riley. “I look forward to extending our dominance in media engagement, from our roots in music to our leadership position in second-screen TV and want to ensure that Shazam is the company that helps people recognize and engage with the world around them.”
“I couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Rich Riley as Shazam’s new Chief Executive Officer,” said Andrew Fisher. “Rich brings a tremendous amount of experience both as an Internet executive where he has rapidly scaled global businesses, to establishing strategic relationships with advertisers and partners, as well as his entrepreneurial approach and skills. Whilst Rich will run our business I will now spend more time focusing on our corporate development and future strategy including our ambitions to deliver a successful IPO for our shareholders as we look to become an increasingly important part of people’s everyday lives, helping them engage with content and brands in the most efficient way possible.”
“I would like to thank John Pearson for his tremendous support as Chairman of Shazam over the past seven years,” continued Fisher. “John has worked tirelessly on behalf of our shareholders and I am delighted he will continue to help the company sustain its success as a board member and Non-Executive Director.”
www.shazam.com