Bar-Kar named vice-president of audio at Bookwire as global audio team grows

Bookwire, the Frankfurt headquartered publishing technology and distribution company, has named Videl Bar-Kar as vice-president, audio.

Bar-Kar takes responsibility for Bookwire’s expanded global audio business and will report to managing director and Bookwire co-founder John Ruhrmann.

Bar-Kar has been with Bookwire since 2018, most recently managing 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.

He will lead a team of audio experts across marketing, production and distribution, which includes three new roles. Florian Ritter joins as international audio marketing manager, where he is responsible for leading the company’s overall audio marketing strategy, working closely with Bookwire’s local market teams.

Matthäus Cygan, whose previous experience in audio includes senior business development roles at Random House Germany and the Frankfurt Book Fair, joins as head of international audio acquisition, where he is responsible for connecting new clients internationally, and Solveij Krause takes up the newly created role of international audio business development manager where she will drive the development of Bookwire’s award WAY audio production service.

The new global roles are complemented by Bookwire’s 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.

Ruhrmann said: "In close co-operation 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 reorganised 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.”

Bar-Kar commented: “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.”