Spotify has appointed Karen Lawson to the role of MD across Australia and New Zealand.

B&T can confirm Lawson will replace Jane Huxley, who left in February to run Spotify’s European business from London.

Lawson will take on the role from June 24, reporting directly to Spotify’s global head of markets Cecilia Qvist.

Lawson was the former chief of corporate sponsors start-up accelerator Slingshot.

She will be in charge of growing the $24.8 million in revenue which Spotify AUNZ made from ads on its free tier in 2018, which was only slightly up from the $24.3 million in 2017, according to documents lodged with the corporate regulator.

In February, B&T reported Spotify bought Gimlet Media and Anchor in order to bolster its podcast credentials and move beyond its music streaming roots.

We also reported Spotify is prepared to spend a total of between $400 million and $500 million on acquisitions this year to grow its podcast platform.