US satellite radio and online broadcaster SiriusXM has appointed Eve Konstan as chief legal officer, replacing Richard Baer who is retiring.
Konstan was most recently general counsel at music streaming platform Spotify until she left in January last year. She brings three decades of media, entertainment and communications law experience to the role.
New York-based SiriusXM provides satellite radio and online radio services, and owns Spotify rival Pandora.
Jennifer Witz, CEO of SiriusXM, said: “Eve brings deep legal expertise across audio and the broader media landscape, and her appointment reinforces the strength of our leadership team during a period of focused execution.”
Konstan spent just under five years at Spotify, following a brief spell as GC at WarnerMedia Entertainment. Prior to that she spent 20 years at Warner subsidiary HBO in a number of roles, including as GC, deputy GC and chief litigation counsel.
She started her legal career in private practice at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.
She said: “I’m pleased to join SiriusXM, an audio entertainment pioneer, as the company builds on its strong momentum and continues to evolve. I look forward to working with Jennifer, the leadership team and the first-rate legal team to support the company’s strategic priorities.”
Baer, meanwhile, goes back into retirement having been lured back into the workforce last February to replace Patrick Donnelly, who retired last year. Baer himself had previously retired from the CLO role at Airbnb back in 2023, where he had worked for four years. Prior to that he spent six years at Liberty Media as CLO, which previously owned SiriusXM before completing a spin-out last year.
He also led the legal departments at UnitedHealth Group and Qwest Communications, having started out in private practice, including eight years as litigation chair at Sherman & Howard.
Witz added: “Rich has been an incredible addition to SiriusXM’s team, and his impact on the team and the business will continue to be felt for many years to come. On behalf of the entire company, I want to thank Rich for his contributions to the organisation and wish him the best in his next chapter.”
Spotify replaced Konstan in June, appointing Kevan Choset to the role full time after he stepped in on an interim basis after Konstan’s departure. Choset was previously associate GC and head of legal strategy at the company.
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