Niall Curran, president of Chellomedia, the international content company of Liberty Global, has announced changes in the senior management team.
Simon Freer, former Global Head of TMT at 3i Group PLC, has joined Chellomedia as CCO. In addition to overseeing revenue growth in the existing portfolio of 66 channels, he will lead Chellomedia’s corporate development team and be responsible for developing the business through partnerships and M&A.
Chellomedia will also be bolstered by the appointment of Ron Huisman as CFO, a post he will take up during Q1 2013. He is currently VP for M&A at Liberty Global, where he has worked since 2000 in strategic planning, finance and M&A roles. He has worked on many of the transactions through which Liberty Global has expanded its business over the past decade.
In the operating businesses, Mike Moriarty expands his scope of responsibility, taking on the roles of managing director Chello Benelux and managing director, Chellomedia Investments in addition to his current role as managing director of Chellomedia, Central Europe.
He joined the Group in 1993 and has served in senior finance and management posts, including as CEO of UPC Hungary, and managing director of Liberty Global Ventures prior to heading up Chello Central Europe in 2006.
President, Chellomedia, Niall Curran said, in a statement: “I am delighted that Simon Freer and Ron Huisman are joining Chellomedia’s team. Their extensive experience in developing businesses is a perfect complement to our strong TV operations expertise, and positions us well to pursue the many opportunities that we see in our markets. I also look forward to continue working with Mike as he expands his focus to another of our core markets, the Benelux.
“The combination of experience and new talent in the Chellomedia team will help us deliver on the many exciting routes to grow our content businesses and for which we continue to enjoy the support of Liberty Global, one of the world’s great cable companies.”
The Chellomedia Central senior team is completed by Rutger Andree Wiltens, who joined as General Counsel, April 2012. Angela McMullen, currently CFO, will continue to be part of the senior team as MD Special Projects reporting to Niall Curran after Huisman’s arrival next year. Susan Elkington, EVP, Entertainment Development, remains in the corporate team, reporting to Simon Freer.
Curran took over as Chellomedia’s president in July, having previously been COO.
