Pandora named Brian McAndrews, a former Microsoft exec, as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a six-month search to replace longtime CEO Joe Kennedy.
McAndrews joined Microsoft as a senior vice president in 2007 after it acquired aQuantive, a digital marketing company which he built up and ran. That acquisition didn't work out particularly well for Microsoft: It took a $6.2 billion writedown on the aQuantive deal in 2011.
McAndrews left Microsoft at the end of 2008 and later joined Madrona, a venture capital firm, as an investing partner. He also is a board member of several prominent companies including The New York Times Co. and Grubhub Seamless.
"No one better understands the intersection of technology and advertising, which he clearly demonstrated during aQuantive's meteoric rise," Tim Westergeen, Pandora's founder, said in a statement. "He has a recognized ability to set strategy, lead large teams and drive growth and innovation at great scale. He is also a natural cultural fit with Pandora. This is a great development for our company."
Kennedy announced his plans to step down from the company in March after having served as CEO for a decade.
"As part of our Board discussions of the road that lies ahead, I reached the conclusion and advised the Board that the time is right to begin a process to identify my successor," he said at the time.
McAndrews takes over at a time when Pandora faces increasing competition from music startups like Spotify and more established players like Apple, which will formally launch its own radio service next week.
Pandora's stock climbed more than 3% in after hours trading following the news.
Image: Pandora