Chris Baughen, Spotify’s former head of studios for UK & Ireland, is tuning into a new job as head of podcasts at Amazon-owned Wondery UK. 

He starts on April 29 and replaces Rich Knight, who recently left the company to join BBC Studios. Baughen will report to Wondery’s head of international podcast content, Jessica Radburn. 

Wondery has commissioned several high-profile kids and family podcasts since Amazon acquired it in 2020, including Disney Frozen: Forces of Nature, ‘Tis The Grinch Holiday Podcast and Audible Original The Sesame Street Podcast with Foley and Friends. 

Based in London, Baughen will focus on working with British talent to expand Wondery’s range of content, including moving into new genres. He has a lot of experience with creating and commissioning podcasts; prior to Spotfiy, he was head of podcast production at London-based radio broadcaster Global, and VP of content and formats at Deezer. 

Signaling its commitment to growth in the UK market, Wondery also launched its Wondery+ subscription service there yesterday. It includes the Wondery Kids+ library of younger-skewing titles such as The Cat in the Hat Cast (pictured), Wow in the World and Little Stories Everywhere.