Audio Network Set For Growth With Key Hires

Audio Network Set For Growth With Key Hires

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 


 





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Audio Network


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