Avid announces new hires as it sharpens focus on subscription business

Avid has announced it is reshaping its executive leadership team to “drive the next phase of its strategic growth”, including the company’s rapidly expanding subscription software business.

The company has taken a number of steps, including hiring talent with strong cloud and SaaS expertise, sharpening its focus on its core audio and video business areas, and repositioning customer-facing functions, to “elevate the company’s go-to-market performance”.

Avid has named cloud business and technology expert Lior Netzer as SVP & GM of Media Platform & Cloud Solutions. Netzer leads the strategy to further expand and grow Avid’s enterprise media platform portfolio and its overall cloud and SaaS business.

Avid also named Kevin Riley as Chief Technology Officer and SVP of Technology & Innovation. Riley is responsible for Avid’s technology vision and innovation strategy and is helping to steer the company’s top-to-bottom technology strategy to support its digital transformation.

Throughout the second half of 2020, as part of Avid’s realignment of its products organisation, the company also repositioned key leaders to “accelerate innovation and consistently improve performance” around its core audio and video business areas.

The company appointed longstanding executive team member Dana Ruzicka to the new role of SVP & GM of Audio & Music Solutions with responsibility for key products including Pro Tools music creation software and solutions for music recording, audio production and live sound.

Ruzicka had served as Avid’s Chief Product Officer since 2015. He has more than 25 years of experience in media technology product management, business development, customer service and marketing.

Additionally, the company appointed Avid and industry veteran Tim Claman to the newly created role of SVP & GM of Video, Post & Storage Solutions with responsibility for products including Media Composer video editing software and NEXIS media storage.

Avid created a new commercial organisation under Tom Cordiner, Chief Revenue Officer, to optimise go-to-market performance across all end markets, products, delivery models and market channels. The commercial organisation unites all market-facing revenue-drivers including sales, pre-sales/solutions, project delivery, marketing and e-commerce.

The company also established a customer experience and customer success organisation under Kathy-Anne McManus, Chief Customer Experience Officer.

“I’m very pleased that Avid succeeded in adding experienced new leaders to its management team such as Lior and Kevin to build a highly scalable SaaS and cloud business as another strategic element to our growing subscription business,” said Jeff Rosica, CEO and President, Avid.

“Additionally, I am enthusiastic about the changes we are making in our management team and organisational structure in order to create a more focused and cost-effective organisation consistent with our cost-savings targets for 2021, while supporting the next phase of our strategic growth plan.

“In the near term, we plan to continue to add talent including senior business leaders specifically focused on driving our software subscription and maintenance business areas to accelerate growth in these strategically important recurring revenue parts of our business.”

Main image: Avid’s Lior Netzer and Kevin Riley