Warner Music Group has announced that Ariel Bardin has joined the company in the newly created post of President of Technology. As a key member of WMG’s Executive Leadership Team, Bardin will oversee the company’s technology and data teams as well as the development of systems, processes, and products to support the next phase of WMG’s global growth. Based in New York, he reports to WMG’s CEO Robert Kyncl.
Kyncl said: “Ariel understands how technology can serve creativity to have real, long-lasting cultural and commercial impact. He has a tremendous appreciation for artistry, deep technical expertise, and a proven track record in execution at the highest level. We’re fortunate to welcome him to our team.”
Bardin said: “I had the pleasure of working with Robert during our time together at Google, where I especially enjoyed our work empowering and equipping YouTube creators. WMG is entering an exciting new era under his leadership, and I’m looking forward to joining him and the rest of the company on a mission to provide the highest level of service to the company’s artists, songwriters, and teams.”
Bardin spent 16 years at Google and YouTube, where he built, launched, and led some of the company’s most successful initiatives, including Google AdWords and Google Payments. At YouTube, he worked closely with top creators to ensure the platform helped them build their businesses, and he headed the teams developing creator products and Content ID. Prior to joining WMG, he was Chief Product Officer at Celonis, which has created a new category of software to help many of the world’s largest companies use ‘process mining’ to enhance their operations and performance.