Ariel Bardin to Depart After Transformative Three-Year Tenure
Warner Music Group (NASDAQ: WMG) today announced that Leho Nigul is being promoted to Chief Technology Officer, WMG, from his current role as Senior Vice President, Engineering. Effective December 1, Nigul will lead WMG’s technology strategy, team, and product roadmap, reporting to CEO Robert Kyncl. At the same time, it was announced that Ariel Bardin has decided to leave the company after a three-year tenure as President of Technology. He will remain with the company through the end of 2025 to ensure the continuity of key initiatives and a smooth leadership transition.
Having joined WMG in 2023, Nigul has overseen engineering teams responsible for wide-ranging initiatives covering distribution, global licensing, royalty management, fan engagement, and AI projects, among others. He came to WMG from Instacart and previously spent over 17 years at IBM, where he served as Head of eCommerce and Digital Experiences SaaS Development, in addition to stints at tech startups leading fast-paced engineering teams.
During his time at WMG, Bardin has meaningfully upgraded the company’s tech infrastructure and processes. Under his leadership, the company has launched cutting edge tools for artists, songwriters, and employees, simplified and strengthened its global supply chain, and delivered a whole suite of improvements to its data systems.
Nigul said, “WMG’s dynamic approach to pioneering the future of music is creating powerful, new opportunities for our artists, songwriters, and teams. I’m delighted to be passed the baton by Ariel, my long-time friend and colleague. With strong foundations in place, we’ll continue to help drive growth, efficiency, and an expanded suite of services for the creative community.”
Robert Kyncl, CEO, Warner Music Group, said, “Leho’s deep knowledge and wide-ranging experience as a leader, engineer, and innovator make him ideally suited to take our team into the future and leverage AI for the benefit of our artists, songwriters, and employees. Ariel leaves with our deepest gratitude for helping to transform our company systems, creating next generation tools, and setting the foundation to rapidly scale WMG going forward, as well as recruiting a brilliant team, including Leho.”
Bardin said, “It has been an honor to collaborate with the incredible teams at WMG and serve our extraordinary artists and songwriters. Together, we’ve achieved so much, and I’m pleased to be planning my next opportunity knowing the company is well positioned to win over the long term.”
