Chairman
Michael Pilsworth has worked in the television industry since 1979. He was managing director of USM-listed SelecTV plc from 1990 to 1993. After the sale of SelecTV to Pearson/MAI for £40m, he moved to Chrysalis Group PLC where he established a new television division. As CEO he built the division into a group of television production businesses with sales of £87m and ebitda of £8.4m on its sale to Bridgepoint Capital in 2002, for £51 million.
Leonard M. Fertig - (b.1947)
Chief Executive Officer
Leonard M. Fertig was co-founder and CEO of Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. Len took CME from a start-up to a billion-dollar NASDAQ-listed broadcasting company with operations in eight countries covering 110 million viewers.
More recently he was CEO of Futuremedia PLC, a leading e-learning company.
In the 1980's Len helped to establish and build television networks such as A&E, Comedy Central, Request Television and DirecTV.
He is also a Non-Executive Director of Metrodome PLC.
Drew Kaza - (b.1959)
Non-Executive Director
Drew Kaza has a broad background in the media industry and serves as a Partner at Ironbridge Capital Partners, a corporate financial advisory firm that specialises in media and green technology. For the past three years Drew has also served as Executive Vice President for Digital Development for Ironbridge client Odeon/UCI Cinemas, which is Europe's largest cinema exhibition chain overseeing all aspects of the company's transition from 35mm to digital film projection.
From 1993 to 1995 Drew handled global pay television distribution as President of United International Pictures Pay-TV Group and developed digital channel North American Sports Network (NASN) in 2002 in conjunction with Setanta Sports when he was CEO for Vulcan European Media. Prior to that Drew was an executive board director and Managing Director for Internet and Interactive at BBC Worldwide from 1999 to 2001.
Drew is currently a director of Odeon UCI Cinemas Digital Limited. His prior board director involvement includes media companies in Sweden, Japan and Latin America and also as Non-Executive Chairman of B7 Productions in the UK.
Senior Non-Executive Director
Professor Bryan Foss has extensive experience of international technology marketing from a long-term career and previous industry board role with IBM Corporation, and is currently visiting professor of B2B marketing with Bristol Business School. Until recently he was also board non-executive and audit and risk chair with the Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG), and acted previously as a non-executive and audit committee member with the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP). Bryan is an active Fellow of the Institute of Directors, holds an executive MBA from City University Business School, is qualified as a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow with both the Chartered Institute for IT and the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Non-Executive Director
Mr Cuatrecasas has a large scope of M&A and corporate advisory experience and is the Founder and CEO of Aquaa Partners, a London-based M&A and corporate finance advisory practice focused on the Telecommunications, Media and Technology industries. In addition to this Paul also set up and ran another M&A and corporate advisory firm, Alegro Capital, in 2003, which he managed until moving into his new role at Aquaa Partners earlier this year.
Previous to Alegro Capital Paul worked at ARC Associates a London-based TMT mergers and acquisitions advisory practice with a full range of blue chip and entrepreneurial clients including Sonera, Cable & Wireless, Apax, Marconi, Equant, ICL, KKR, Permira and BT, amongst others.
Mr Cuatrecasas has worked on and completed over 35 M&A transactions around the world, worth over $6 billion and over 40 corporate finance advisory and strategic consultancy assignments. He has originated and structured over 15 private placements of equity capital raising over $500 million. He also directed the ARC investment programme and achieved a historical professional investment track record over 50% IRR since 1994.
Paul holds an MBA from Columbia University where he was awarded the Roswell C. McCrea Scholarship and a BA from Wake Forest University.
