Wondery U.K. has hired Spotify exec Chris Baughen as its new head of podcasts. He joins the company on April 29 and will be based in London.
Baughen steps into the role recently vacated by Rich Knight, who has moved to BBC Studios.
Baughen, who will report to Wondery’s head of international podcast content Jessica Radburn, will oversee the U.K. originals slate as well as the production and development pipeline with U.K. collaborators. His remit will also include expanding Wondery’s content slate, working with local talent, producers and writers and diversifying into new genres curated for the U.K. market.
Baughen was previously head of studios for Spotify U.K. and Ireland, where he drove content strategy across original and licensed podcasts, working on projects including “The Louis Theroux Podcast,” “Parenting Hell,” “JaackMaate” and “The Receipts.”
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He previously worked as head of podcasts at Global, where he commissioned shows including “Hunting Ghislaine” and “My Therapist Ghosted Me,” and also had stints at Deezer, as VP for content and formats, and managing editor of Radio X.
“When it comes to compelling, engaging and immersive storytelling, Wondery are at the top of the tree!” Baughen said. “To say I’m excited to be joining this incredible team would be a massive understatement and I can’t wait to be part of the next chapter in their story.”
Wondery has been steadily expanding its footprint in the U.K., this week launching subscription service Wondery+ in the market, which offers subscribers exclusive content, ad-free listening and early access to new episodes including shows such as “The Price of Paradise,” which launched last week and is already number one on Apple Podcasts in the U.K, and “Hooked on Freddie.”
Jen Sargent, CEO of Wondery said: “The Wondery+ U.K. launch extends our commitment to the U.K. market, building on our long-term strategy to work alongside brilliant local storytellers and talent across all genres to deliver podcast-first storytelling with relevance and appeal to local audiences.”
