Grass Valley names new CTO and CRO

Grass Valley has made three appointments to its leadership team, including new chief revenue and technology officers.

These changes come shortly after Andrew Cross left his role as CEO of Grass Valley less than a year after his arrival. Louis Hernandez jr, CEO of parent company Black Dragon Capital, is leading the company until a new CEO is found. 

Tim Banks has been made the company’s chief revenue officer, having served in the role as an interim over the past six months. Previously VP of sales for EMEA, Banks has over 25 years’ experience in media and entertainment and joined Grass Valley when it acquired Snell Advanced Media in 2018.

Banks said: “I’m very proud of GV’s past and very excited by our future as we continue to help our customers create new revenue streams and drive operational efficiencies, leading the way through the media and entertainment industry’s ongoing digital transformation.”

Meanwhile, Marek Kielczewski becomes chief technology officer with 20 years of experience across broadcast, media, and entertainment. Before arriving at Grass Valley, Kielczewski founded TVCoins, a streaming media startup, in 2021, and was CTO of SeaChange before that - working his way up from SVP CPE software over almost five years with the company.

He said: “I am thrilled to be joining Grass Valley at such a pivotal time – not only in their journey, but the industry’s as well. Our new product strategy will have an incredible impact on our current and future customers and will realize the full potential of AMPP – it’s truly an exciting time for all of us.”

Finally, Jim Kirkland has been named SVP of global delivery and support, promoted from vice president of service and support. Kirkland joined Grass Valley when it acquired Miranda Technologies in 2014, and also previously worked for Omnibus Systems. He added: “I look forward to elevating Grass Valley’s excellent reputation for customer service even further as we transform our Delivery and Support structure and continue to help our customers and partners succeed.”

Louis Hernandez Jr., CEO and executive chairman at Grass Valley, said of all three appointments: “I’m delighted that Grass Valley’s leadership is strengthened by the experience and market knowledge that Tim, Marek, and Jim bring to the team. They will be pivotal in reinforcing GV’s customer-centric culture and leading our ongoing business transformation. We will continue to lead in media technologies and digital workflows, to create the future of media production, and to be the best partner for our clients as well as for channel and alliance partners.”