Former ITV chief operating officer John Cresswell has been appointed as the new chief executive officer of media services company Arqiva. Cresswell, who also spent a period as interim CEO at ITV, will join the company on January 17. He replaces Tom Bennie who is stepping down after 32 years at Arqiva and its predecessors that traces its roots back to the engineering division of the Independent Television Authority.
Today, Arqiva owns much of the infrastructure behind broadcast services and wireless communication in the UK. It operates an international satellite broadcast and communications business. The company is halfway through the £700 million, five-year, digital switchover project and is a shareholder in YouView. It also operates the online TV portal SeeSaw.
Welcoming Cresswell to the company, Peter Shore, chairman of Arqiva’s board of directors, said: “The ongoing development of digital communications is transforming the media, communications and utilities industries and generating opportunities for critical communications infrastructure and services both in the UK and internationally. The growth potential in our markets is enormous and the time is right for Arqiva to bring in new executive leadership to drive the company forward. John’s broad industry experience, knowledge and leadership skills mean he is ideally placed to help us shape and realise these opportunities today and in the future.”
Arqiva is owned by a consortium of eight shareholder groups, the two largest being Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) with a 48% holding and Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund 2 (MEIF 2) with 21%.
