Advanced Television

Major management changes at Arqiva

October 8, 2010

By Chris Forrester

Tom Bennie

UK broadcast and satellite services company Arqiva is making some significant management and structural changes. CEO Tom Bennie is to leave once a replacement is appointed. The current somewhat complex divisional structure is being overhauled.

“There are changes afoot,” said an Arqiva spokesman. “Tom stays for the moment, although will step down eventually and finding a replacement might take months. We are changing from three divisions to two, with terrestrial broadcast and satellite & media business divisions merging into one. Nick Thompson (MD, Broadcast & Media) will run these elements. Steve Holbrook will head up our Government, Mobile & Enterprise segment, which includes responsibility for mobile activity.”

Our source said the logic was that with two media-facing divisions Arqiva frequently ended up dealing with the same customers via the two divisions. These consolidated segments would help eliminate potential confusion, and lead to greater efficiencies. “We were imposing our internal workings on customers, and some of this was inevitable given the way Arqiva has grown these past few years, but now that the National Grid Wireless acquisition has been wholly absorbed, and settled down, it was time to look afresh at how we managed our business and to streamline how we worked.”

SeeSaw, the internet TV service that launched earlier this year, sits within new broadcast division under Nick Thompson.

Arqiva’s ownership structure remains unchanged with the Canada Pension Plan’s CPP Investment Board holding 48%, and various Macquarie investment funds with a total of 34%.

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