The news was confirmed by the company’s CEO Eliah Seton, days after Sky News reported that SoundCloud’s owners were preparing to sell the company for about $1bn.
In his new role, Sansone, who brings more than 20 years of global financial and operational expertise in the tech and music industries, will help drive the execution of SoundCloud’s strategic roadmap. He will be based in New York, US, and will report directly to Seton.
“On behalf of the board of directors and management of SoundCloud, I want to welcome Tom to the team,” Seton said. “Tom is a proven global executive with a highly differentiated and relevant skill set that includes accelerating business transformation, establishing operational and financial discipline and executing strategic alternatives. Now that we are a profitable growth company and in control of our own destiny, Tom will be a key partner in helping us realise SoundCloud’s unique opportunity and industry-changing vision.”
“I’m passionate about helping businesses realise their potential and I’m incredibly excited about the opportunities for SoundCloud,” said Sansone. “The evolution of the business has been exciting to see and the company remains one of the most trusted brands for creators and super fans of music discovery. I’m looking forward to working with an incredible leadership team and board to execute on the strategy to empower artists and fans to share and connect through music and to build on our strong financial footing.”
Sansone currently serves as a member of the board of trustees of Blair Academy and as an investor, advisor, partner and board member to a series of start-up companies. Sansone earned a BA in finance and accounting from Gettysburg College and an MBA from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
Most recently, he served as CFO of Kobalt Music Group for seven years, where he was a key architect of the company’s operational restructuring and profitable growth, capital planning and successful sale of the businesses. Previously, Sansone was COO and CFO of Gilt Groupe for eight years. Earlier in his career, Sansone worked for Arthur Andersen and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
