CrowdStar appoints new CEO: Former AdMob exec Niren Hiro

Social game developer CrowdStar (creators of Facebook games Happy Aquarium, Happy Island, Happy Pets and Zoo Paradise) announced today that former AdMob executive Niren Hiro has joined the company as Chief Executive Officer.

CrowdStar Co-Founder Peter Relan will continue in his role as Executive Chairman.

Relain said: “Social games, virtual goods, and micro-transactions will grow manifold in the coming years and I look forward to working with Niren as he leverages his entertainment and media background to steer CrowdStar’s network of games to even higher levels of success.”

Hiro has 20 years of experience at Internet, mobile and media companies including Yahoo, CBS Sportsline, MTV Networks, Plus Channel, and BPL Mobile.Prior to CrowdStar, Hiro joined AdMob in 2006 as Vice President of Worldwide Business Development, and built and led the team responsible for AdMob’s strategic partnerships and traffic acquisition in North America and worldwide, as well as the company’s business expansion into Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Africa.

“Peter and the entrepreneurial team at CrowdStar have done an incredible job of rapidly innovating to engage the global Facebook audience with high quality games,” said Hiro.”I am really looking forward to working with a tech-savvy, creative and ambitious team to launch new social games across both the online and mobile platforms, expand into new markets, and add new sources of revenue.”

Hiro was born and raised in Japan, where at the age of 21 he founded a successful processed foods company. He has a BS in Finance and a MBA from Boston University, has two daughters, and currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Hiro joins CrowdStar as the company’s Facebook games approach a player base of 50 million players per month.

“With Niren’s help in growing our company, we will accelerate the CrowdStar tradition of delighting our existing players, while also innovating with our highly creative team to launch standard-setting new games that will earn us the patronage of our next 100 million users,” said CrowdStar Co-Founders Suren Markosian and Jeffrey Tseng.

Erin Bell