Panos Panay’s well-known passion for technology apparently extends beyond computers and tablets to wireless home speakers.
Microsoft’s chief product officer, the longtime leader of its Surface hardware group, was named Monday morning to the Sonos board of directors, giving the high-tech speaker and audio technology company a board member with deep experience across devices and software.
“Sonos is making some of the best consumer products out there by focusing on the end to end customer experience,” Panay said in a statement. “I am excited to work with the board and to be part of what comes next.”
As Microsoft’s chief product officer, Panay oversees the company’s Windows user experience and hardware development initiatives. He was in the news last week as the Redmond company announced the price and upcoming release date for Microsoft’s new Surface Duo dual-screen Android device.
Because the device is built on Android, Microsoft is working with its longtime rival Google on the Surface Duo. Separately, Sonos filed suit against Google earlier this year, alleging that the search giant stole its technology and violated its patents. That could position Panay as a potential peacemaker, or create a tricky situation for him to navigate as a member of the Sonos board.
Panay becomes the 10th member of the Sonos board, which also includes former Microsoft Xbox leader Robbie Bach, in addition to current and former top executives from companies including Restoration Hardware, Conde Nast, Publicis Sapient, and Hearst Magazines, among others.
Sonos, based in Santa Barbara, Calif., recently reported revenue of $249 million for the quarter ended June 27, down 4%, and a net loss of $57 million, vs. a net loss of $14 million a year earlier. The company said it was able to minimize the impact of retail store closures on its sales by expanding its direct-to-consumer sales.
