Spotify ANZ confirms Karen Lawson as new managing director

Former Slingshot Accelerator CEO Karen Lawson has been named the new managing director of Spotify Australia & New Zealand.

Lawson replaces Jane Huxley, who departed the role in February in favour of a global role with the DSP out of London.

TMN understands that Slingshot’s new role will see her report directly into Spotify’s global head of markets, Cecilia Qvist.

She will begin her new role on June 24.

“I am thrilled to be joining Spotify as MD for Australia and New Zealand,” Karen tweeted.

“It’s wonderful to be part of a business which is so loved by millions of people around the world.”

I am thrilled to be joining Spotify as MD for Australia and New Zealand. It’s wonderful to be part of a business which is so loved by millions of people around the world.

— karen lawson (@karenlawson2025) May 23, 2019

Her previous roles include CEO of careerone.com.au and GM of business developments & partnerships at Yahoo7.

The appointment follows Spotify taking recent steps to move deeper in podcasting, having recently acquired podcast studio Gimlet and podcast creation app Anchor.

The DSP also bought out true crime podcast studio Parcast in March.