Brian McAndrews To Helm Pandora

OAKLAND, CA (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Music streaming service Pandora's board of directors has named Brian McAndrews, formerly of Madrona Venture Group, Microsoft and aQuantive, to succeed Joe Kennedy as Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the company, effective immediately.

After holding senior positions at General Mills and ABC, McAndrews, took over Avenue A, a small digital agency in Seattle in 1999, and as President and CEO built it into digital marketing company aQuantive, which was subsequently acquired by Microsoft in 2007 for $6 billion.

McAndrews joined Madrona as an investing partner in 2009, focusing on early-stage technology companies. In addition to his work at Madrona, McAndrews currently serves on the boards of The New York Times Co., Grubhub Seamless and AppNexus.

“It is a great privilege to be asked to lead Pandora at this important moment in the company’s history,” said McAndrews. “By capturing the enthusiasm of more than 72 million monthly listeners, the management team, led by Joe and Tim, has made Pandora the clear internet radio leader and created a product that consumers love. I look forward to joining this great team to build on Pandora's success for years to come.” – Staff Writers