Sammer Elia has been appointed business development director for Viaccess-Orca (VO) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
In his new role, he will lead VO’s sales and business development for OTT video, entertainment, and content protection solutions, addressing the company’s expanding global presence and helping to ensure superior service for customers in the MENA region.
Commenting on the appointment, Pascal Birot, VP sales, EMEAR, at VO, said: “The OTT market is experiencing tremendous growth, with Africa poised to reach $1.725 billion in revenues by 2026. Piracy is also rising in the region and content protection has never been more important for our customers.
“With more than 20 years of expertise, Sammer is a proven leader to drive VO’s sales efforts in the region. His strong business acumen, analytics skills in evangelizing new solutions, and track record for creating new business opportunities in emerging markets will help us increase sales, expand our business, and boost profitability in the MENA region”.
Based in Dubai, Elia brings a wealth of sales and business development experience to VO from working at multinational companies including Nokia, NEC, Oracle, EXFO, and Orange. Prior to joining VO, he was the sales and business development director, ANZ, at Broadpeak. Before that, Elia spearheaded the multimedia and APM business unit at ILS Technologies, where he applied visionary strategies to accelerate the company’s success and growth. In the span of four years, he transformed ILS Technologies into an essential partner for OTT and APM across the region.
Elia said: “VO has a burgeoning customer base in the MENA region. While ensuring the continuity of VO’s distinguished service to customers will remain paramount, I’m excited to provide guidance to service providers on how to successfully launch, protect, and monetize their streaming services.
“I strongly believe in the myriad opportunities the region has to offer and the superiority of VO’s tailored solutions to address the ever-evolving TV and OTT landscape”.
