Frankfurt am Main, February 7, 2023 – Bookwire GmbH, the Frankfurt headquartered publishing technology and distribution company, strengthens its global audio team to drive further growth and innovation across its spoken word business, as the audio industry continues its double digit expansion.
From January 2023, Videl Bar-Kar takes responsibility for Bookwire's expanded global audio business as the newly appointed Vice President Audio and will report to the Managing Director & Bookwire Co-Founder John Ruhrmann. Bar-Kar has been with Bookwire since 2018 and most recently managed the international digital audio business as Global Head of Audio. Previously, he worked as Audio Publisher at Penguin Random House UK, as well as a publishing and author consultant.
With immediate effect, Bar-Kar leads a growing team of audio experts across marketing, production and distribution, in a structure that offers publishing clients deep local market knowledge combined with unrivaled global reach and strategic insight.
Bar-Kar’s team includes 3 new global roles:
Florian Ritter joins as International Audio Marketing Manager, where he is responsible for leading the company’s overall audio marketing strategy and toolbox, working closely with Bookwire’s local market teams. Matthäus Cygan brings his deep audio know-how to the new role of Head of International Audio Acquisition, where he is responsible for connecting new clients internationally. His previous experience in audio includes senior business development roles at Random House Germany and the Frankfurt Book Fair. As publishers look for innovative and high quality production solutions, Solveij Krause takes up the newly created role of International Audio Business Development Manager & Global WAY Lead, where she will drive the development of Bookwire’s award winning WAY audio production service.
These global roles are complemented by Bookwire’s strong local market audio experts and their teams, which are led by Christian Kessler (Head of audio DACH / German markets) , Giulia Lo Monaco (Audio Manager Spain), Anne-Laure Gonet (Country Manager, France), and Antonio Hermida (Head of Audio Brazil).
The combined team will work both locally and globally in a new audio team matrix structure, headed by Bar-Kar.
"In close cooperation with our publishing, label and shop partners, we have successfully further developed the steadily growing audiobook business in recent years. In view of the uninterrupted global audio trend, Bookwire has reorganized itself in order to be able to optimally meet the growing challenges of the digital audio business. Through our local audio experts, who are strongly anchored in their regions, and through our globally successful platform trading partners, we are able to always offer our clients in trade and industry the best service and the best technology solutions. Bookwire OS and our team are able to do that.” says John Ruhrmann, Managing Director Bookwire.
"Audio is a once in a generation opportunity as the fastest growing area in publishing, and I am thrilled to lead Bookwire’s intensified efforts to offer clients the most powerful solutions available in the market. We want to help accelerate the audio business of every publisher. I’m also delighted to be working with expert and passionate colleagues from across our different markets.” adds Videl Bar-Kar, Vice President Audio Bookwire.
For media inquiries and interview requests, please contact:
David Breitwieser Alfaro
Corporate Communications Manager Bookwire
david.alfaro@bookwire.de
