Deezer has appointed media and tech executive Ivana Kirkbride as chief commercial officer, effective immediately.
Kirkbride is tasked with accelerating the expansion of the streaming company’s global partnerships business and driving profitable growth across new geographies and verticals. She will report directly to deputy CEO Stephane Rougeot, and will be based in Deezer’s Paris HQ.
“Deezer’s partnerships model has unlocked invaluable channels into the music industry for a wide range of companies to achieve sustainable growth,” said Ivana Kirkbride. “As we continue to build on this track record of success, I’m thrilled to be joining the team in Paris to take Deezer to the next level together and scale globally. We will explore innovative strategic partnerships across new markets and sectors, with the goal of driving profitable revenue growth for the future.”
“Ivana has an excellent track record in leadership roles across business development, sales and product innovation in tech and media, which makes her a fantastic addition to Deezer,” said Stephane Rougeot, deputy CEO, Deezer. “We are aiming for significant growth and Ivana is exactly the right person to take the lead as we expand our partnership business.”
Deezer has developed its strategic partnership business for more than 10 years. It accounted for €118.5 million in revenues for 2022. In Q3 2023, partnership subscribers increased 11.8%, with quarterly revenue growing 11.9% year-on-year.
Kirkbride will manage a global partnerships organisation across Europe, Latin America and North America.
Recent Deezer partnerships include major deals with RTL in Germany, Sonos in the US and Mercado Libre in Brazil and Mexico.
In previous roles, Kirkbride worked on the launch of digital initiatives such as YouTube Originals, premium mid-form video, and Creators.org.
FOLLOW 
