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Shashank Saxena joined Sierra Ventures in April as managing partner to lead enterprise software investments. Sierra Ventures is an early-stage venture firm with over $2 billion of assets under management.

Why it matters: AI is allowing for more efficient and comprehensive data analysis, in turn supporting enterprise software's automation and ability to uncover patterns and recommendations, writes Natalie Breymeyer.

Zoom in: When systems of records were initially moved to the cloud, Saxena saw publicly traded companies created to aid that migration.

The next set of apps, Saxena said, no matter the space or domain, will need an element of infused intelligence or machine learning in order to compete with the market.

📍 How he got here: Saxena co-founded and served as CEO of VNDLY, a vendor management system that was acquired by Workday in 2021 for $510 million. Prior to that, Saxena led digital applications at Citibank and digital and e-commerce at Kroger.

📈 Trend spot: As companies integrate machine learning AI into their products, engagement data measuring usage and behavioral patterns will need to be utilized. Take e-commerce companies, which are focusing on personalizing shopping experiences at an individual level.

"The companies that think about integration frameworks and how to get the right data to train the models to build that experience for the customer — those are the companies we feel will win the market," Saxena said.

💼 First job: Stocking shelves at a Target in Woodland Hills, Calif.

1 big thing: Shashank Saxena named managing partner at Sierra Ventures

Photo illustration of Shashank Saxena next to graphic diagonal lines.

Photo illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios. Photo: Courtesy of Sierra Ventures

Jonathan Glickman, former MGM Motion Picture Group president, joined Miramax as CEO, succeeding Bill Block. axios.link/3xmlbpq

M-K Kennedy, previously VP of production for Europe at Netflix, was named executive managing director of TV series at Studiocanal. axios.link/3xownBW

Elena Novokreshchenova was named global CEO of freemium at DAZN. She was most recently managing director Europe digital at Entain. axios.link/3PPZt3q

Bee Devine, a former Sky Studios executive, is joining London-based Garden Studios as COO. axios.link/3VPxmFh

Cal Ripken Jr., baseball hall-of-famer, is joining MoonBall Media as an executive producer of an upcoming docuseries. axios.link/3vBeejW

Sandra Dewey joined "The Morning Show" studio Media Res as COO. She previously served as president of business operations and production for HBO Max. axios.link/3vRklR4

Chris Brearton joined the Russo Brothers' studio, AGBO, as partner. He most recently served as VP of corporate strategy at Amazon MGM Studios and was previously COO of MGM. axios.link/3xECIt5

David Porter is joining Warner Bros. Discovery as head of ad sales research, data and insights. axios.link/4d0N0Ec

Jeff Boone joined Fremantle's North American team as VP of scripted development. axios.link/3xLSbaP

Marshall Weinbaum was named manager of awards (animation) at Netflix after spending the past 17 years at Disney. axios.link/4b54vRP

Garrett VanDusen is joining Brad Krevoy's Motion Picture Corp. of America as VP of physical production. axios.link/3JuipkF

Becky Sloviter was named president of Miramax Motion Picture Group. axios.link/4d8Ex1H

Stephanie Terifay joined AMC Theatres as VP of distribution. axios.link/4bcKKrJ

Jon Oakes, formerly EVP of development and productions at Bold Films, joined Hammerstone Studios as president of production and development. axios.link/4dgqQhl

Michael Antinoro was named president of EverWonder Studio, overseeing production and strategy. He was previously president of Endeavor's Film 45. axios.link/4ddoijY

Communication, print and social media hires

Kylie McRoberts was named the new head of safety for X. Yale Cohen, previously of Publicis, was named head of brand safety and advertiser solutions. axios.link/4aE7al9

Christian Luiga was named CFO of Spotify. He previously was deputy CEO and CFO of European defense and security company Saab AB. axios.link/3vDD9Dg

Philip Moyer, a former Google Cloud executive, was named CEO of Vimeo. axios.link/4aHcQef

Ari Isaacman D'Angelo was named chief communications officer of Business Insider. axios.link/3JwhVe5

Terry Tang was named executive editor for the Los Angeles Times. axios.link/3xpUGzf

Marni Greenberg, formerly head of music communications at YouTube, was named SVP and head of communications at SoundCloud. axios.link/3xB4Uge

Matthew Rose was named editorial director for Opinion at the New York Times. He is a veteran of the Wall Street Journal, most recently serving as chief enterprise editor. axios.link/43SJY0y

Sara Silverstein was named CEO of The Arena Group. She joined in 2021. axios.link/3wdro6J

Izzy Gould was named CCO of The Daily Memphian. Prior, she was senior director of content of AL.com. axios.link/3W03O8d

John Heilemann was named chief political columnist and partner at Puck. He most recently launched and sold video news startup The Recount. axios.link/3JSoOqh

Victoria Gold, formerly co-publisher of the Hollywood Reporter, was named SVP of entertainment and special projects at Variety. axios.link/3Utqw7u

Marty Moe, previously president of Vox Media Studios, was named president of TMB (Trusted Media Brands), which owns FailArmy, The Pet Collective, Reader's Digest and more. axios.link/3xLapZW

Public relations and entertainment agency hires

Ned McNeilage, formerly of VML, was named chief creative officer of Sphere Entertainment (NYSE: SPHR). axios.link/4aF1MOZ

Jillian Holch, formerly an agent at A3, joined Verve. axios.link/3PIqciw

Emma Clarke, a former Gersh agent, joined Currents Management. axios.link/3vMKTCV

Tracey Lincoln, formerly with Parkwood Entertainment, was named VP, community and brand partnerships at Imagine Entertainment. axios.link/43Jr3oQ

Jennie Church-Cooper, previously with Haven Entertainment, joined Levity Talent. axios.link/43J7psU

Viviane Campos, formerly head of sales at OmniChat, was named head of sales at Connectly. axios.link/4amVjrW

Harmon Lyons was named CBO of Adelaide. He was most recently EVP and GM of global data solutions at Guideline. axios.link/49xEcCu

Brian Lafemina joined Arctos as an operating partner. The former Madison Square Garden exec was most recently CBO for the LA 2028 organizing committee and president of the Washington Commanders. axios.link/49BLXYs

Seth Jacobs joined VaynerMedia New York as executive creative director. axios.link/3U8Wplo

Julie La'Bassiere, BAFTA deputy chair, is joining global communications agency DDA as chief strategy officer. axios.link/3vM1dnw

Kerry Bradley is joining Horizon Sports & Experiences as SVP of strategy. axios.link/3vRdBCQ

Alex McGuire was tapped by CAA to oversee sports media representation efforts throughout the U.K. and Europe. axios.link/4422pje

Brian Quinn was named CRO of Digital Trends Media Group. Prior, he was global head of advertising at Vibenomics. axios.link/3UtV7lm

Katie Gahamire, a former CAA agent, joined Jax Media's U.K. division as a creative director. axios.link/3xQR7T7

Kyle Kuzma, an NBA player for the Washington Wizards, joined Scrum Ventures as an adviser. axios.link/4ahUHUx

Scott Donaton, a former Hulu marketing executive, is joining VersusGame, an AI-powered interactive content company, as CMO. axios.link/3J3OBv1

Jim Viscardi is joining "The Walking Dead" publisher Image Comics as VP of business development. He co-founded ComicBook.com, which sold to CBS Interactive. axios.link/3TNr3Qd

Michael Schwartz joined Houlihan Lokey as a managing director of capital markets. He previously was with Lazard. axios.link/3TSG2It

Russell Binder, a veteran entertainment and gaming licensing agent and executive producer of "Five Nights at Freddy's," joined Griffin Gaming Partners. axios.link/4azZcKj

Ivo Manolov, a former Adobe and Microsoft exec, is joining Spotter as CTO. axios.link/3Uf9f1A

John Dahl, formerly an ESPN executive producer, was named SVP of content for NASCAR. axios.link/4aPiJGi

Krishan Bhatia, former NBCUniversal ad sales exec, was named VP of global video advertising for Amazon Ads. axios.link/3vRQKXL

UTA set its new executive team for MediaLink's core advisory business, following the exit of founder Michael Kassan: Donna Sharp, Andrea Kerr Redniss and Lena Petersen will lead marketing consulting; Christopher Vollmer, Devrie DeMarco and Mark Wagman will head up media & tech strategy consulting. axios.link/3vJNbmB

Dane Aagaard, former Barstool ad sales exec, is joining Colin Cowherd's podcast company, The Volume, as its first CRO. axios.link/49DBbRl

Neil Duffy, formerly with eFuse, was named COO for the Americas region at esports company OverActive Media. axios.link/442dqRK

LIV Golf added five new executives: David Phillipps will be the Saudi-backed golf league's CFO; Ross Hallett will be EVP, head of events; Katie O'Reilly will be EVP, head of team business operations; Tim Taylor will be the lead in LIV's London office; Pam Sacree will be head of human resources. axios.link/3W2mLqT

Dunstan Carter, former commercial chief at Sharp Project, was named business development and partnerships manager at Mighty Giant. axios.link/3UuU8RZ

Lori Kalani was named chief responsible gaming officer at DraftKings. axios.link/3UsTvrQ

Amy Madden of PwC was hired as SVP of revenue and growth, Jeff Schmidt of Nielsen as SVP of advertisers, and Conor Burgess of Acxiom as VP of agency partnerships at VideoAmp. axios.link/3WjANo8

Marina Harris was named chief people officer at Clio. clio.com

Ewuradjoa Gadzanku joined Stanley Capital Partners  as principal for its strategy team. stanley-capital.com

💼 New hires

Shelley Zalis, CEO of The Female Quotient, was appointed to the board of MINT, an enterprise SaaS product for advertisers. axios.link/3VMgAXz

Wonya Lucas, former Hallmark Media CEO, is joining Comcast's board of directors. axios.link/4aQn7Vq

🗳️ Elections and appointments

Aja Whitaker-Moore was promoted to EIC at Axios, and Sara Goo was promoted to executive editor of Axios Live and New Platforms. axios.link/44oqKQB

Michele Ballantyne was promoted to president of The Recording Industry Association of America and will continue serving as COO. axios.link/43ILa6z

Samar Akrouk was promoted to managing director of MBC Studios. axios.link/4ale4w4

Anastasia Nyrkovskaya was promoted to CEO of Fortune. She served as CFO and CSO since 2019. axios.link/4cRstSs

Sean Shoptaw was promoted to EVP of Disney's gaming division. Ray Gresko, former Blizzard Entertainment developer, will join as SVP of product and development; Bjorn Tornqvist, former Ubisoft staffer, will join as VP of games technology. axios.link/3VQ0o7G 

Jason Goldberg was promoted to head of global film, Alessandra Ferreri to VP of content, Brennan Loftus to director of development, animation and Jess Brinder to director, head of entertainment business development at Wattpad Webtoon Studios. axios.link/3PZdc87

Kristina Cuello was promoted to manager at Curate. axios.link/3U7IgFh

Courtney Armstrong was promoted to COO of Paramount Pictures. axios.link/3TQuqWA

Kate Humphreys was promoted to chief communications officer at Banijay. axios.link/3Ud51rx

Tony Grimminck was promoted to CEO of Scribd. He joined as CFO in 2019. axios.link/4aVsVgt

Elysa Koplovitz Dutton was promoted to EVP of theatrical film production at Alloy Entertainment. axios.link/3Uj8DrN

Ryan Briganti was promoted to head of sports for Paramount Advertising, replacing the retiring John Bogusz. axios.link/3Jj9JO7

Christopher Shaban was promoted from EVP of global business and customer development to managing director of iLottery by NeoGames. axios.link/3JnmfvT

Jennifer Li was promoted to general partner to help lead Andreessen Horowitz's new AI infrastructure fund. axios.link/3Up9do8

Ronald Day was promoted to president of entertainment and CCO for Telemundo as part of a restructuring. Javier Pons was named EVP of Telemundo Studios. axios.link/4b2qiJL

Tahra Grant was promoted to EVP, chief communications officer for Sony Pictures Entertainment. axios.link/49YEXVm

📢 Promotions

Steven Miron and Steven Newhouse resigned from Warner Bros. Discovery's board amid a DOJ investigation into whether their service violated Section 8 of the Clayton Antitrust Act. axios.link/3vAbPpv

Norby Williamson a longtime top executive at ESPN, left after 40 years. His most recent title was executive editor and head of event and studio production. axios.link/3TRrxoo

Jeremy Gold is stepping down as president of production for Blumhouse Television and will launch a production company, Gold Company. axios.link/3UcgWpi

Kevin Trehy left as EVP of physical production at Warner Bros. after 21 years at the studio. axios.link/4aLHBPi

Uri Berliner, the NPR editor who criticized the outlet for having a liberal bias, resigned following a suspension and staff backlash. axios.link/3W3S84e

Aaron LaBerge is leaving as CTO for Disney Entertainment and ESPN to take the same role with ESPN Bet operator Penn Entertainment. axios.link/3UapqfB

John Malone stepped down as director emeritus on the Charter Communications board, citing concerns that his simultaneous presence on Warner Bros. Discovery's board of directors violates the Clayton Act. axios.link/3QdQNEq

Jo Ann Ross stepped down as chairman of advertising at Paramount ahead of the annual TV upfronts. axios.link/3WhhcVt

Bob Bakish stepped down as CEO of Paramount Global, and division chiefs Brian Robbins, George Cheeks and Chris McCarthy will form an "Office of the CEO" in the interim. axios.link/3UFKV9e

The Wall Street Journal laid off at least 11 people, including visuals producers, social media editors, video journalists, a video producer and a reporter, per The Daily Beast. axios.link/3Q06MFP

Marvel Studios laid off 15 people, per THR. axios.link/3JkxIMU

WBUR, Boston's NPR affiliate, laid off seven employees and 24 are taking buyouts. axios.link/3w6Eumo

🛫 Departures and layoffs

Alex Cooper, host of "Call Her Daddy," is joining NBCUniversal's Olympics coverage this summer. She will host "Watch with Alex Cooper," a series of live interactive watch parties streaming on Peacock. axios.link/4cIZZKw

Kate Shindle will not seek re-election for another term as president of Actors' Equity. axios.link/3U6RVMc

Netflix reorganized its film team under Dan Lin, per THR. Ori Marmur will oversee action, fantasy, horror and sci-fi; Kira Goldberg will oversee thrillers, dramas and family films; Niija Kuykendall will oversee faith-based, young adult and holiday; Jason Young will oversee comedies and rom-coms. About 12 Netflix staffers were expected to be laid off. axios.link/3vRAqGj

Tara VanDerveer, the NCAA's winningest basketball coach, is retiring after her record-breaking 45-year career, Stanford said. axios.link/3TVrYy0

Curtis LeGeyt extended his contract as president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters through 2029. axios.link/4aZIzrk

Sue Bird joined the ownership group of the WNBA's Seattle Storm, her former team. axios.link/4daEhzb

Jason Kelce, recently retired NFL offensive lineman, is joining ESPN's "Monday Night Countdown" next season. axios.link/44k0XsK

🔔 Announcements

Welcome to the April edition! Axios Pro Deals research associate Natalie Breymeyer here with your monthly recap of who's working where now.

Did you or a friend recently change jobs? Tell us! Get wind of layoffs somewhere? Tell us! How do you tell us? Reply to this email.

You can skim below to find New hires; Elections and appointments; Promotions; and Departures.

📥 Your opinion matters to us. Please share your thoughts by replying to this email!

There you have it. Make sure to continue sending us your personnel-related news throughout the month.

🧛 Natalie closed out the month of April by reliving her middle school years and watching "Twilight" in theaters. The event featured an introduction from the movie's director, and after a rewatch on the big screen, Natalie can confidently say she remains Team Edward.

May 04, 2024

1 big thing: Shashank Saxena named managing partner at Sierra Ventures