Amazon’s Audible Names Bob Carrigan CEO as Founder Don Katz Steps Into New Role

By Todd Spangler

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Audible, the Amazon-owned seller and producer of audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment, hired media and publishing veteran Bob Carrigan as CEO. Don Katz, who founded in 1995, will step out of the chief executive role to become executive chairman.

Carrigan joins Audible effective Jan. 2. As executive chairman, Katz will work with Carrigan on the company’s overall strategy as Carrigan takes over responsibility for global business operations. Katz also will focus on Audible’s global content strategy and the company’s social and public policy objectives.

Amazon acquired Newark, N.J.-based Audible for $300 million in 2008.

Carrigan most recently was executive chairman of Genscape, a provider of data and analytics to the global energy markets, until its sale to Verisk Analytics last month. Previously, Carrigan served as chairman and CEO of Dun & Bradstreet and before that was CEO of media company IDG. Carrigan also spent four years at AOL as senior VP of interactive marketing.

“Bob Carrigan is among the most accomplished, creative, intellectually adept, and inspirational CEOs I have watched succeed over my 20 years of studying and chronicling businesses and my 24 years leading Audible,” Katz said in a statement.

Katz praised Carrigan’s “transformational stewardship” as CEO of IDG and his “visionary leadership” at D&B. “Both companies became far more connected to their customers, to their founding entrepreneurial roots, and both became more meaningful places to work,” Katz said.

Carrigan commented, “Audible’s evolution from startup to global powerhouse is a remarkable business and cultural phenomenon. I could not be more honored and excited to join Don and the talented people who have worked so hard to serve millions of customers and so many of our most gifted professional creators.”

Prior to founding Audible, Katz was an award-winning journalist and author. Today, Audible operates audio services in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, Australia, Japan, Italy and India. Outside of Audible, Katz is the founder of Newark Venture Partners, a social-impact early-stage investment fund and accelerator that aims to connect the New Jersey city to the tech startup community.