France-headquartered streaming service Deezer has appointed media and tech executive Ivana Kirkbride as Chief Commercial Officer, effective Tuesday (January 9).
Kirkbride, recognized for her roles at startups and Fortune 50 companies such as Google, Verizon, and Meta, will be tasked with overseeing the expansion of Deezer’s global partnerships and driving growth in various regions and sectors.
Deezer says Kirkbride is known for introducing new products and expanding emerging ecosystems where media, technology, and entertainment intersect, and she has established herself as an “industry leader” in the social video market and creator economy.
Kirkbride has been instrumental in leading significant projects, including the launch of initiatives like YouTube Originals, Premium Mid-Form video and Creators.org. Additionally, she has garnered acclaim as an award-winning executive producer and holds the title of Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, Deezer noted.
At Deezer, Kirkbride will report directly to Deputy CEO Stéphane Rougeot and will be based at Deezer’s Paris office. She will manage a global partnerships organization across Europe, Latin America and North America.
“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.”
Stéphane Rougeot, Deezer
“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 Rougeot.
“We are aiming for significant growth and Ivana is exactly the right person to take the lead as we expand our partnership business.”
For more than 10 years, Deezer has cultivated its strategic partnership business. Its partnerships accounted for €118.5 million of its revenues for FY 2022, the company said.
In the third quarter of 2023, partnership subscribers surged by 11.8%, with quarterly revenue experiencing an 11.9% increase compared to Q3 2022. Recent collaborations include agreements with RTL in Germany, Sonos in the US, and Mercado Libre in Brazil and Mexico.
In late 2023, record giants Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group partnered with Deezer on the latter’s new ‘artist-centric’ payout system for recorded music royalties.
Kirkbride’s appointment came on the heels of Deezer’s announcement of a new brand identity and redesigned app in November. The company said at the time that it is “reinventing itself as an experience services platform.”
Commenting on her appointment, Kirkbride said: “Deezer’s partnerships model has unlocked invaluable channels into the music industry for a wide range of companies to achieve sustainable growth.”
“We will explore innovative strategic partnerships across new markets and sectors, with the goal of driving profitable revenue growth for the future.”
Ivana Kirkbride, Deezer
“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.”
Music Business Worldwide
