IMDb founder and CEO Col Needham is stepping down after launching the website 35 years ago, the Amazon-owned company announced on Tuesday. Needham will now serve as executive chair. IMDb chief operating officer Nikki Santoro will take over as CEO.
Needham started building the database that later became IMDb in 1990. He remained CEO even after selling the website to Amazon in 1998, overseeing major changes like the rollout of its IMDbPro subscription and an update that lets professionals hide their age.
Santoro joined IMDb in 2016 and became COO in 2021. She has helped expand the site’s database and build out IMDbPro, according to IMDb’s leadership page.
As executive chair, Needham will still “provide strategic guidance, consult on key initiatives, and serve as a global ambassador” for the company, according to IMDb’s press release.
“[Santoro’s] track record of driving growth and enhancing our products and services makes her the ideal person to guide IMDb into a new era,” Needham says in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to work closely with Nikki and the talented IMDb team in my new role as we build on IMDb’s legacy and shape the future of entertainment information.”