Jean-Marc Racine Joins Synamedia’s Executive Team as Chief Product Officer and General Manager of EMEAR

LONDON – September 12th, 2018 – Synamedia, the company being created from the acquisition of Cisco’s Service Provider Video Software Solutions business, and backed by the Permira funds, has appointed Jean-Marc Racine as Chief Product Officer and General Manager of Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia (EMEAR). Jean-Marc will officially take up his position at Synamedia alongside incoming chairman Dr. Abe Peled and incoming CEO Yves Padrines after the transaction is completed in the first half of Cisco’s 2019 financial year.

Jean-Marc has extensive experience in the broadcast media technology sector. Through his consultancy activities at Farncombe Technology and more recently Cartesian, Jean-Marc supported clients as they implemented next-generation hybrid TV platforms and adopted cloud models. Jean-Marc started his career with key contributions to the creation of digital television as a video compression research engineer at Philips laboratories and later on through a number of senior executive roles at CANAL+ Group in Europe and the USA.

Alongside his role as Synamedia’s General Manager of Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia, Jean-Marc will also have global responsibility for product management and marketing.

Yves Padrines, incoming CEO for Synamedia and currently vice president of Global Service Provider for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Cisco said: “Jean-Marc’s strong track record speaks for itself. As a media industry leader who combines proven commercial acumen with deep technical understanding, Jean-Marc will help Synamedia thrive as a private, independent entity.”

Jean-Marc Racine, Chief Product Officer and General Manager at EMEAR added: “I am excited by Synamedia’s plans to double down on investment for innovation and the injection of fresh entrepreneurial dynamism that will see the firm flourish in the new TV age. Having consulted with many operators over the years, I understand the challenges operators face and believe Synamedia is ideally positioned to help traditional and new pay-TV operators exploit the many potential opportunities in this fast-moving market.”

About Synamedia

As an independent business, Synamedia will have a singular focus on empowering traditional and new pay-TV operators to drive new revenues through exceptional subscriber experiences. Building on more than 30 years of expertise, the firm will be the largest global provider of video solutions, trusted by top global and local satellite DTH, cable, telco and OTT operators, content owners and broadcasters.

Headquartered in London, with a strong global presence, Synamedia will be the only vendor with a portfolio of offerings across the video experience including content protection, middleware development, cloud video recording, video processing, and video distribution.

Twitter: @synamedia360

About Permira

Permira is a global investment firm. Founded in 1985, the firm advises funds with a total committed capital of approximately €33bn and makes long-term investments in companies with the objective of transforming their performance and driving sustainable growth. The Permira funds have made over 250 private equity investments in five key sectors: Consumer, Technology, Industrials, Healthcare and Financial Services.

The Permira funds have a long track record of successfully investing in technology companies around the world including Allegro, Ancestry.com, Genesys, Informatica, LegalZoom.com, Magento, NDS, Renaissance Learning, TeamViewer, Teraco and others. Permira employs over 200 people in 14 offices across Europe, North America and Asia.