MediaKind has announced the appointment of Mark Ramberg as group vice president of products, and Jeff Sherwin, as executive vice president, technology strategy and operations. These newly created positions strengthen MediaKind’s technical capabilities and strategic commitment to the burgeoning direct-to-consumer (DTC) video, advertising and sports markets, where it continues to invest and increase its presence. Between them, Ramberg and Sherwin bring over 45 years of experience in the DTC and advertising space, having worked with companies ranging from innovative, early-stage startups to Fortune 100 giants.
Matt McConnell, CEO, MediaKind, said: “The growing popularity of OTT services continues to disrupt and shorten traditional media supply chains, which is exemplified by the rapid movements in the highly competitive and complex DTC and advertising space. Through the appointments of Mark and Jeff, we have made two strategic hires who will help us negotiate the next stage in our breakthrough of these increasingly converging market segments. Their industry-leading expertise and counsel will play a significant role as we continue to invest in our pioneering product portfolio, unlock new opportunities in the world of streaming and deliver value to our customers and partners.”
As group vice president of products, Ramberg will spearhead MediaKind’s product management efforts to advance the DTC market and build fully integrated, cloud-based media delivery technologies for the live and on-demand streaming ecosystem. Ramberg joins MediaKind from Hulu/Disney, one of the world’s largest DTC video services, where he led the product management teams that drove 11 development teams focused on live and VOD content and metadata processing, delivery, and playback engine operations. He has also previously led technology and business efforts at Microsoft Corporation, Amazon Web Services, Akamai Technologies, and multiple technology startups. Ramberg will report directly to Raul Aldrey, chief product officer.
Raul Aldrey said: “Mark is an industry veteran, and we are delighted to bring his proven leadership and management capabilities to MediaKind. His reputation, knowledge, and experience in developing technology innovation in the DTC space are second-to-none. He will elevate our ability to build more dynamic and personalised OTT services that respond to real consumer needs. Mark’s passion, strategic vision and deep technical and business acumen will help us successfully execute our goals and accelerate our product-led business transformation as we move towards a streaming-first world.”
With over 20 years of leadership experience in software products, technology services, and media businesses, Sherwin brings a deep entrepreneurial background and a rich history of converting ideas and early-stage initiatives into high-growth companies in the video advertising space. Among his most significant career achievements, Sherwin founded and led This Technology, Inc. which pioneered QAM and ABR video switching for advertising and content rights. Comcast later acquired This Technology in 2015, where Sherwin served as VP advertising technology. In his new role as executive vice president, technology strategy and operations at MediaKind, Sherwin will report directly to Allen Broome, chief technology officer.
Allen Broome said: “We are incredibly excited to welcome Jeff to MediaKind. He is a true pioneer of advanced advertising and content rights management for both Pay-TV operators and content networks, creating proven innovations for ad insertion and content protection. We look forward to benefitting from his leadership and extensive expertise, particularly in the sports OTT and advertising space, as we continue to develop and advance world-class software and solutions which meet the evolving needs of next-generation video distribution.”
