EMI Executive VP of Digital To Exit Company August 07, 2009
By Antony Bruno, Denver
Billboard has learned that EMI executive VP of digital marketing Cory Ondrejka is leaving the company.
Ondrejka is the second high-profile digital executive to leave EMI after having been recruited away from the technology industry. Former Google CIO Douglas Merrill left the company this March. Ondrejka was the co-founder of the virtual world Second Life.
The news was relayed to EMI staff in an internal memo obtained by Billboard, which EMI spokeswoman Jeanne Meyer confirmed as accurate.
"He misses his life as an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, and by mutual agreement he’s going to leave EMI in two weeks,” she said.
Also cited as a reason is his desire to cut down on travel and spend more time with his wife and kids.
Ondrejka’s three direct reports—senior VP of digital strategy Syd Schwartz, VP of marketing platforms Eric Case, and VP of consumer insights David Boyle—will report to Ernesto Schmitt, president of EMI’s central marketing and catalog. It is not yet clear whether EMI plans to replace Ondrejka.
EMI sources say Ondrejka’s departure won’t overly affect the company’s digital strategies, pointing to a recent round of digital appointments that was designed to integrate digital sales, marketing, and strategy into all elements of EMI’s business rather than silo all digital activities into one unit.
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