Your vision,
our mission

Paul Segre

Chief Executive Officer

Paul Segre joined Synamedia as Chief Executive Officer in 2020.  He has led an expansion of Synamedia’s portfolio to include market leading solutions for Video streaming providers to complement its traditional focus on PayTV providers, all with an objective of helping video providers grow revenue securely and deliver exceptional viewing experiences at scale. Under his leadership, the company has expanded its industry leading cloud-based portfolio, extended its global presence, and sharpened its focus on customer success, enabling clients to thrive in an increasingly complex and competitive digital landscape.

Before joining Synamedia, Paul was CEO of Genesys for 12 years. In 2012, he led the $1.6 billion spin-out of Genesys from Alcatel-Lucent (now Nokia), backed by the Permira Funds. He went on to acquire 16 companies and scale Genesys into one of the ten largest privately held software firms globally.

Earlier in his career, Paul served on the Executive Committee of Alcatel-Lucent as President of the Applications Group—a $2.9 billion division that included Genesys and a range of telecommunications software products. He also held senior roles in strategy, business development, and product management at DSC, Bell Labs, and AT&T Network Systems.

Claire Lea

Chief Financial Officer

Claire is our Chief Financial Officer and has over 25 years experience supporting blue-chip and private equity businesses through growth and transformation, focusing on driving value creation in global tech, telco and media companies.

Prior to joining Synamedia, Claire has held leadership roles at Vodafone, where she was CFO at Vodafone Roaming Services in Luxembourg from its inception in 2008 to 2012 and Dentsu, where she was CFO for UK & Northern Europe from 2013-2017 delivering multiple M&A deals along with restructuring and business transformation programmes. Since 2017 Claire has worked in private equity backed businesses, taking Investis Digital through a transformational growth journey to a successful sale to Investcorp in 2021; leading restructuring, divestments, carve-outs and consolidations at Framestore and Company 3; and supporting Inflexion in carving out the Healthcare division of Global Data.

Nick Thexton

EVP, Media Cloud Services

As EVP of Media Cloud Services, Nick drives Synamedia’s ambitious agenda of technology innovation and investment, and leads the development and delivery of new system solutions that help customers transform their business models and accelerate their transition to IP. He is in charge of the company’s video platform engineering, product management, architecture and marketing groups. 

Nick joined Synamedia in April 2020 following a stint as Group CTO at German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1. His previous positions were Chief Digital & Product Officer at satellite operator Inmarsat, and CTO for UK TV platform YouView. 

From 1994 to 2012 Nick worked at NDS, then at Cisco until 2014 in the position of VP and CTO of Cisco’s Service Provider Video Software Solutions. Nick started his career working with UK broadcasters Channel 4 and Thames Television having graduated in engineering from Imperial College, London. 

Tzvi Gerstl

EVP, Media Technology

Tzvi Gerstl is EVP of Media Technology at Synamedia, leading a portfolio that delivers secure TV and streaming to hundreds of millions of users. Media Technology supports operators in expanding their IP and OTT services, with a focus on scale, time to market, and monetisation. Tzvi’s expertise bridges technology and business, shaping solutions that support customer growth and the shift to next-generation video services. A member of the Synamedia Executive Leadership Team, Tzvi also leads enterprise IT, and operational and product security.

With over 20 years of experience in the video industry, Tzvi brings deep technical and product expertise, with a strong track record delivery, leading transformations and innovation. He is known for his clear execution focus and commitment to customer success.

Tzvi holds a PhD in Scheduling Algorithms, has authored more than 25 papers on algorithms in high-ranked journals and is the holder of several patents. He is a Dean Fellow at the Business School of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In his free time, Tzvi enjoys running, hiking and reading.

Edward Allfrey

EVP, Video Network

Edward Allfrey is Synamedia’s EVP of Video Network, bringing decades of experience across the technology and media landscape. He leads the charge in helping customers deliver, protect, and optimize video at scale, powering seamless, secure, and high-quality viewing experiences from live broadcasts to OTT streaming worldwide. Ed previously held the position of VP Global Sales in Synamedia.

Before joining Synamedia, Ed spent 10 Years in the UK Cable industry, launching Digital TV, and being personally responsible for the world’s first Catch up TV service. Then at Tandberg later acquired by Ericsson he ran Global Media Sales based in Stockholm, integrating more than 7 different acquisitions into the TV & Media portfolio. Ed held various roles across the industry, shaping business development, technical strategy, and systems architecture.

Ed holds a Master of Engineering (MEng) from the University of Exeter, is a keen trekker, skier, and long distance ice skater.

Ismat Levin

EVP General Counsel

Ismat Levin is Synamedia’s Group General Counsel. Ismat has over 25 years of experience in commercial and international growth and extensive experience in technology-led software industries in NASDAQ and private equity contexts. She also has substantial understanding of M&A, Risk, ESG, cyber security and the global investment community.

Prior to joining Synamedia, Ismat was Group General Counsel at NDS Group Limited for over 20 years as it grew from a startup investment owned by News Corporation, to being a NASDAQ publicly listed company for 10 years to being sold to Cisco Systems Inc. for $5BN and more recently to being taken private again by Permira Private Equity.

Shauna O’Handley

EVP People and Places

Shauna O’Handley is Synamedia’s EVP of People & Places focusing on connections locally and globally that create experiences for our people of today and tomorrow to thrive, innovate and win. 

Having joined Synamedia in July 2019, Shauna brings with her multisector experience most recently in FinTech Private Equity where she led the people transformation agenda focused on culture, learning, engagement, and success. Shauna is a passionate believer that DE&I, innovation, and collaboration create an empowered environment that is fundamental to any business strategy’s success. 

Paul Segre

Chief Executive Officer

Paul Segre joined Synamedia as Chief Executive Officer in 2020.  He has led an expansion of Synamedia’s portfolio to include market leading solutions for Video streaming providers to complement its traditional focus on PayTV providers, all with an objective of helping video providers grow revenue securely and deliver exceptional viewing experiences at scale. Under his leadership, the company has expanded its industry leading cloud-based portfolio, extended its global presence, and sharpened its focus on customer success, enabling clients to thrive in an increasingly complex and competitive digital landscape.

Before joining Synamedia, Paul was CEO of Genesys for 12 years. In 2012, he led the $1.6 billion spin-out of Genesys from Alcatel-Lucent (now Nokia), backed by the Permira Funds. He went on to acquire 16 companies and scale Genesys into one of the ten largest privately held software firms globally.

Earlier in his career, Paul served on the Executive Committee of Alcatel-Lucent as President of the Applications Group—a $2.9 billion division that included Genesys and a range of telecommunications software products. He also held senior roles in strategy, business development, and product management at DSC, Bell Labs, and AT&T Network Systems.

Richard Sanders

Partner, Co-Head of Technology, Permira

Richard is a Partner. He is Co-Head of the Technology Sector team and a member of the Investment Committee. He spent the first nine years at Permira based in the London office, before relocating to the United States in 2008 to set up the Menlo Park office. Richard returned to London in 2011. He has worked on numerous transactions including Allegro Group, ABS, Freescale Semiconductor, Genesys, Inmarsat, Intelsat, NDS, TeamViewer and Teraco.

Prior to joining Permira, Richard worked for Morgan Stanley in London in the M&A and High Yield Capital Markets divisions.

Ryan Lanpher

Partner, Permira

Ryan is a partner and focuses on investment opportunities in the Technology sector. He has worked on a number of transactions including Genesys, Informatica, and Metalogix. He is currently a Non-Executive Director at Genesys, Informatica and Metalogix.

Prior to pursuing his MBA, Ryan worked in Permira’s Menlo Park office for three years. Before that, he worked at Bank of America in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group.

Nic Volpi

Partner, Permira

Nic joined the Permira New York office in 2004 and relocated to Menlo Park in 2011. He is a member of the Financing Group and has worked on numerous transactions including Ancestry, Curriculum Associates, Duff & Phelps / Kroll, Intelsat, Magento, Renaissance Learning, Sushiro, TeamViewer and Tricor.

Nic is an Investment lead for Permira’s social impact partnership with Food for Soul, a charity partner with the Permira Foundation.

Prior to joining Permira, Nic spent four years at Brera Capital Partners where he worked on middle-market buy-outs. Before that, he worked at Index Securities in Geneva and spent three years in the Financial Institutions Group at Merrill Lynch in New York.

Nic has a degree in Business Administration from Georgetown University, USA, and an MBA from Stanford University, USA.