MUMBAI: Bauer Media has appointed Sony Music veteran Mark Hardy as group digital director for its London lifestyle magazine and radio brands.

In his new role, Hardy will report to chief executive Paul Keenan and will be responsible for the company’s web, social and mobile divisions. He will initially concentrate on building up its existing brands, and will further also work on developing the company's prominence and audience reach through new digital services.

Keenan said, “Mark’s unique experience of marketing branded content globally will be exceptionally valuable to us as we accelerate the digital migration of our world-famous brands.”

Prior to this appointment, Hardy was senior strategic director at Sony Music and was responsible for spearheading the group’s marketing strategy driving innovation and change.

He has also worked as marketing director for Simon Cowell-owned Syco Entertainment, where he presided over the global launch of the pop group One Direction. Earlier, he was the European marketing director at Sony PlayStation and marketing director at the Walt Disney Company, leading Disney and Pixar's UK marketing campaigns.

Hardy said, “I’m really excited to be joining Bauer Media at such a pivotal time for the company and the broader publishing and radio industries. With such a strong portfolio of brands, Bauer is in a unique position to develop a multi-platform strategy that can take advantage of changing consumer needs, new marketing channels, and emerging revenue streams. I am confident that my broad experience in digital, entertainment and branded content will bring a new perspective to a company that is already driving innovation in this space.”