BigBand Splits CEO, Chairman Roles

By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 3/8/2010 10:14:00 AM

REDWOOD CITY, CALIF. — Digital video equipment provider BigBand Networks said chief operating officer David Heard and sales chief Sean Rooney had resigned and that CEO Amir Bassan-Eskenazi is stepping down as chairman in favor of cable veteran Mike Pohl.

“Having an independent chairman elevates our governance structure to ‘best practices,’ which is critical in today’s business environment,” Bassan-Eskenazi, who remains CEO, said in a statement. “Mike brings an immense wealth of experience in guiding companies through their critical growth cycles, and we are delighted that he has accepted this important role.”

The changes “are designed to ensure the company is even more agile in the execution of its strategy for sustained growth in digital video networking,” BigBand said.

BigBand is the leading provider of switched digital video systems, with deployments or planned deployments representing 33 million homes passed. But it has struggled to maintain profitability, with 2009 sales falling 25%, and some analysts have suggested the SDV market has limited future growth potential.

The Redwood City, Calif.- based firm said Ray Fitzgerald has been promoted to vice president of worldwide cable sales and Wayne Gaudette will continue as VP of telco sales, reporting to Bassan-Eskenazi.

Pohl joined the BigBand board in April 2009. The former Arris executive is CEO of Jinni, an Israel-based startup that has developed a “mood-based” discovery system for movies and TV shows.