Deezer’s New CEO Is Alexis Lanternier

Alexis Lanternier was named CEO of French music streamer Deezer, replacing interim CEO Stu Berger, the company announced Thursday (July 25).

Lanternier, who will be based at Deezer’s Paris headquarters, most recently co-founded and developed Branded, a digital-first consumer goods company. Prior to that, Lanternier was an executive vp of Walmart Canada e-commerce and also held positions at Lazada, an e-commerce company in Southeast Asia. He will lead a staff of 600 people. Available in more than 180 markets, Deezer generated 485 million euros ($525 million) of revenue in 2023, up 7.4% from the prior year, and had 10.5 million subscribers at the end of the first quarter. The company will report second-quarter earnings on July 30.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Deezer at such a pivotal time,” Lanternier said in a statement. “Deezer is an inspiring French tech pioneer and is uniquely positioned to support the major changes happening in the global music industry while ensuring all stakeholders benefit. Its consistent strategy in favor of fair artist compensation, immersive and collaborative music experiences and its state of the art technology platform make it ideally positioned to seize future growth opportunities.”

Iris Knobloch, chair of Deezer’s board of directors, cited Lanternier’s experience in leading and transforming organizations. “His vision for Deezer is compelling, and we are confident that his leadership will propel the company to new levels of success,” she said in a statement. “As we continue to innovate and expand our offerings, Alexis’s expertise will be invaluable in navigating the evolving streaming landscape and delivering experiences to our users.”

The previous Deezer CEO, Jeronimo Folgueira, left the company in February after a nearly three-year run in the role.