Susan Paley

Susan Paley is a 15+ year veteran in consumer technology and the driving force behind some of the most innovative consumer products and embedded solutions in the audio/digital audio space. In her most recent role, Susan was the first employee and CEO of Beats By Dre, chartered with building the business from the ground up. She successfully guided all aspects of the company’s unparalleled growth from both a strategic and operational aspect, making it the #1 headphone globally and the fastest growing brand in CE. She created “Beats Audio”, a proprietary audio enhancement technology now deployed in millions of mobile phones, automobiles and PCs through licensing partnerships with HTC, Chrysler/Fiat, VW, Hyundai and HP respectively. Susan led the investment deal team that resulted in a 300M+ investment by HTC. She then moved into a General Manager/EVP Product Development role where she was responsible for building and leading engineering and product management teams to create, manage and execute the Beats product portfolio. Paley joined Beats Electronics from Harman International Group where she was responsible for identifying and developing new markets for the global brands across the Harman portfolio. For JBL, she created a new line of lifestyle products linked to a strategic partnership with Quiksilver Inc., one of the largest global youth lifestyle brands driving $40M of annualized growth. Paley was responsible for all aspects of the business from inception through launch including the business plan, product portfolio development, manufacturing, channel distribution strategy, marketing and PR. Currently, Paley is an advisor at Halo Neuroscience and Muzik and a board member at PYPO. Additionally, she operates as a business strategist for early stage ventures and global brands that are focused on building entirely new businesses or creating new opportunities within existing businesses.