Ticketmaster has shaken up its executive ranks, appointing former Amazon vice president Jim Freeman as its new chief technology officer to lead an expansive push into artificial intelligence and automated threat defense.
The leadership restructuring comes as the prominent ticketing platform grapples with persistent bot attacks that have plagued its infrastructure for years. The chief technology officer position had remained vacant since February, following the departure of London-based CTO Carlos Alvarez-Coch ahead of a scheduled deposition in the United States government’s antitrust lawsuit against parent company Live Nation.
Alongside Freeman’s appointment, Ticketmaster has brought on two additional technology veterans. Rachel Smith, previously with Block and music service Tidal, has been named the company’s first senior vice president of data science and machine learning. Chuck Mortimore, a veteran product leader with experience at Disney and Stripe, joins as the next senior vice president of product.
As part of its strategic turn toward artificial intelligence, Ticketmaster also integrated the team from Raige.ai, an artificial intelligence startup that the company acquired in July. This incoming technical team is tasked with accelerating artificial intelligence adoption throughout the organization and constructing robust underlying infrastructure for the platform.
Saumil Mehta, Ticketmaster’s global president, emphasized the role of advanced technology in addressing core operational challenges. Reliable, secure, and personalized experiences depend on how effectively the company deploys technology and data, Mehta noted in a statement, adding that the newly appointed leaders will help the organization move faster, build better tools, and deliver improved outcomes for fans, artists, venues, and clients.
Freeman’s portfolio as chief technology officer spans artificial intelligence development, the deployment of machine-learning systems to power consumer experiences, and the enterprise-wide integration of artificial intelligence tools. Before taking on the role, Freeman served as a senior adviser at Permira and previously held a vice president position at Amazon, where he helped build and launch Prime Video alongside its device and distribution partnerships.
Smith will focus on expanding data science and analytics operations, creating tighter integration between data systems and product development. Meanwhile, Mortimore will steer product strategy with a mandate to combat recurring bot issues while facilitating easier account and ticket access for concertgoers and event attendees.
