Radioplayer has named Yann Legarson as its new CEO, to start in May.
Managing Director Michael Hill is leaving the organization he helped launch for a job in the nonprofit sector.
“Legarson will lead Radioplayer through a new phase of growth, backed by new investment from its founder members, the BBC, Global, Bauer Media Audio UK and Radiocentre,” the organization announced.
Legarson joins from Radioplayer France, where he led the launch of the Radioplayer brand in 2020.
RadioPlayer started with a proposal from the BBC in 2011 for a nonprofit partnership with commercial radio to grow online radio listening. It launched as a shared web player, followed by an app and smart-speaker integrations; it later began working with car companies with the goal of “keeping radio strong in the dashboard.”
Radioplayer Worldwide is a partnership between UK Radioplayer and entities in the countries that have rolled out the model. The 17 countries Radioplayer operates in are the U.K., Germany, Spain, Canada, Ireland, Austria, Norway, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, France, Finland, Greece and Luxembourg.
The CEO announcement said Radioplayer plans international growth, “focusing on its in-car and connected devices strategy, with the group recently forging technology partnerships with leading car manufacturers, including VW Group and BMW (who represent more than 34% of all cars sold in Europe), ensuring that radio’s prominence will be maintained in the dashboards of the future.”
