M7 Group SA, a Pan-European satellite pay TV operator controlled by French Private Equity firm Astorg, has made several changes to its board.
Marc Antoine d’Halluin has been appointed as chairman of the board, Hans Troelstra as CEO and Ernst Jan van Rooijen as CFO. The company, which owns and operates DTH (Direct-to-Home) platforms across Europe with over three million subscribers, aims to “further develop its content centric approach focusing on offering the broadest and most appealing linear and on demand content for its customers via multiple media platforms.”
Marc Antoine d’Halluin has considerable experience in international programming and content distribution as he spent most of his career with content and platform operators. Prior to joining M7 Group, Marc Antoine held CEO positions at Zodiak Media, Showtime Arabia, Orbit Showtime Network (OSN) in Dubai and Canal+ Nordic.
Marc Antoine will further build on the leading market positions of the M7 brands in their local markets, by adding TV channels and on demand services that on the one hand generate broad public interest and on the other hand anticipates trends and new content developments like e-sports
Hans Troelstra has worked as COO of M7 Group over the last six years and played a key role in transforming the company from a Benelux satellite platform operator into a multi-territory pay TV operator with over three million subscribers in the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Czech, Slovakia and Germany. In his new role, Hans will continue to drive the change from a DTH-only platform to a fully hybrid platform.
Hans commented: “We have now launched hybrid platforms for all our brands, allowing customers to view the content from whatever device they prefer. On top of that we will focus on improving communications with our customers. With our enormous line up it is not always easy for customers to find programs. An example is the Travel Channel’s series ‘No Reservations’ with Anthony Bourdain undertaking new culinary adventures around the globe. Good content but not well-known and hidden in our line up.
Ernst Jan van Rooijen has worked for over 15 years for Tele2 mostly in the capacity of CFO. He had a leading role in various acquisitions, strategic partnerships and divestment. He also played a pivotal role in the recent efforts to acquire the 4G license and finance the network roll out. As CFO of the Group, Ernst Jan is responsible for the overall finance and legal function and will contribute actively in the execution of the growth opportunities of the company, whilst at the same time ensuring all financial objectives will be met.
