Turbine Hires New Operations VP

Lord of the Rings Online developer has hired a new VP of operations in Ken Surdan, who'll now head up the company's worldwide operations. His areas of responsibility will include network operations, project management and customer service and support. Although Surdan has a background in online businesses, this appears to be his first games industry position, as his previous roles include senior VP of Technology at TripAdvisor Media Network, and COO at SmartBargains.com. "I’ve had the good fortune to work with some of the best online organizations in the business," Surdan says. "Yet Turbine really brings something unique to the table in terms of its proven ability to operate massive online games, as well as manage the complex online customer ecosystems which surround each of their multiple titles." "We’re really excited to bring Ken’s strong record of accomplishment and his passion for the customer to bear on our rapidly growing business," says Turbine president and CEO Jim Crowley. This powers up the senior management unit at Turbine significantly."