2025 Devoncroft Executive Summit | Amsterdam
Thursday | September 11, 2025
12PM – 6PM
Tuschinski Theatre | Amsterdam
Announced Speakers Include:
Silvia Candiani
Vice President of Telco, Media, Gaming
As the leader of Microsoft’s Worldwide Telco, Media & Gaming Industry, Silvia Candiani manages the industry strategy definition, go to market execution, ecosystem development and industry solution prioritization for telecommunications, media and entertainment. Silvia leads the sales organization and client executives in driving origination of large transformative deals and is accountable for global industry revenue results.
Silvia has 15 years of experience at Microsoft and previously served as CEO of Microsoft Italy, where she worked toward the mission of accelerating the digital transformation of Italian companies, institutions, and society. Before her role as CEO, she led the Consumer and Channel division for Central and Eastern Europe, including PC/tablets, hardware, Windows Phone, Xbox, and Office. She also held positions as Marketing & Operations Director and Consumer & Online Division Director at Microsoft Italy.
Prior to Microsoft Silvia worked at McKinsey as a consultant in Media and Telco businesses and then moved to Vodafone where she worked for a decade and headed Consumer Marketing in Italy.
Silvia holds a BA in Business Administration from Bocconi University and an MBA from INSEAD. Silvia also sits on the Bocconi University Alumni Advisory Board and Lavazza Group.
Damian Cronan
Chief Digital and Information Officer
Damian is the Chief Digital and Information Officer at the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
He joins the ABC with broad experience in the media and technology sectors, most recently as the Chief Information & Technology Officer at Nine. There he led the product engineering & IT teams for Nine’s family of brands including 9Now, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, 2GB and 3AW, alongside traditional corporate and broadcast technology responsibilities.
Prior to this, Damian was CTO at Fairfax, and led the Technology division through the transformation of its Metro Publishing business, including the consumer and editorial experience, driving the exceptional growth of its subscription business ahead of the merger with Nine.
Damian was also the founding CTO for Stan, Nine’s successful subscription streaming service, leading its development and launch into the market in 2015 and fast growth in the competitive subscription video landscape. Damian has also held roles at NineMSN and ACP Magazines.
Damian has over 14 years in media and more than 25 years’ experience in technology. As a career media technologist, Damian has a keen interest in using Product & Technology as a lever for competitive advantage to respond to both the challenges and opportunities facing the industry.
Simon Crownshaw
Worldwide Strategy Director Media & Entertainment
With nearly two decades of experience across the digital media landscape, Simon has a comprehensive background in production, postproduction, and the entire media supply chain. Prior to joining Microsoft, he led technical solutions and strategy at several studios and broadcasters.
Simon Crownshaw has held the position of Worldwide Media and Entertainment Director at Microsoft for the last four years. In this capacity, he provides leadership, guidance, and strategy to teams involved in studios, broadcasting, sports, experiences and live events, as well as the solutions that support these areas. His role encompasses assisting numerous global clients in leveraging Microsoft’s capabilities to enhance media workflows, with a particular focus on media cloud adoption and the integration of critical data and AI technologies poised to transform content creation and delivery in the future.
Tyrone Donnelly
Head of Group Platform Engineering
Tyrone Donnelly is the Head of Group Platform Engineering at Sky, leading an international team responsible for the delivery and operational reliability of Sky’s broadcast infrastructure which underpins Sky’s broadcast, content systems and operations. He has experience in managing large teams, vendor relationships and substantial investment and operational budgets.
Mauricio Felix Vasconcellos
Executive Director of Technology
Felix works at Globo, overseeing Technology Infrastructure, Information Security, Telecom, Broadcast, Media Solutions, and Corporate Technology Support.
Tobias Huber
Director of Operations
Tobias M. Huber is a German writer, director, and producer. He studied at HFF Munich and La Fémis Paris, winning the Student Academy Award for his graduation film. After moving to L.A., he worked for legendary producer Chuck Roven. Since 2017, he’s been with PANTALEON Films, producing among others for Warner Bros. Germany and Amazon Prime. At STORYBOOK STUDIOS, Europe’s leading AI-driven production company, he is helping to pioneer the use of generative AI in film.
Anil Jain
Global Managing Director – Strategic Consumer Industries
Anil Jain is the Global Managing Director for the Strategic Consumer Industries at Google Cloud, with responsibilities spanning Media, Gaming, Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods industries. A veteran of the technology industry, Jain is focused on helping organizations digitally transform the way they run their businesses through the application of AI, data and cloud-based innovation to deliver new consumer experiences.
Before joining Google, Jain was the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Brightcove’s global media business, where he oversaw the end-to-end business, spanning product strategy, solutions development, marketing, partnerships and sales. He has worked with startups and enterprises in over 75 countries. Prior to Brightcove, Anil was the Senior Vice President of Corporate and Business Development for Unicorn Media, an innovative dynamic advertising and streaming technology startup. In this role, he negotiated key customer deals, established winning technology partnerships, raised capital and eventually architected the sale of the company to Brightcove in 2014.
Anil holds an M.S. Technology & Policy and an M.S. Materials Science & Engineering from M.I.T., and a B.S. Ceramic Engineering from Alfred University.
Stefan Lederer
Co-Founder & CEO
Stefan Lederer is a renowned innovator and thought leader in video streaming with a strong background in academic research. Stefan co-created the MPEG-DASH video streaming standard and has contributed to several open-source tools, including DASHEncoder, DASHoverCCN and VLC plugin. Stefan also serves as an external lecturer at the University of Klagenfurt.
Rebecca Matthews
Head Content Management & Distribution
Rebecca Matthews is the Head of Content Management & Distribution at the ABC, where she leads the archives, library and distribution teams.
Rebecca has been a part of the media industry for more than 25 years. She has worked in most roles in a newsroom, from journalist and producer, to Chief of Staff and State Editor. In recent years she has been a member of the ABC News Executive team, firstly as Head of Operations, and then as Head of State Coverage, where she led all the state newsrooms around Australia.
Jeff Mayzurk
President, Operations & Technology
Jeff Mayzurk is currently President, Operations & Technology at VERSANT. Previously he served as EVP, News Group Operations & Technology at NBCUniversal where he was responsible for operations, technical production, post-production, archives, editing and technical strategy across the NBCUnivesal News Group including NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC.
Earlier, Jeff was EVP, Operations & Technology for Telemundo and International where he led operations and technical strategy across all Telemundo business units and served as the O&T leader for the company’s international footprint.
Peter Nöethen
CEO and Founder
Peter Nöthen is a founder, CEO and long-standing investor in the digital technology, media and entertainment markets. With more than 30 years of business and leadership experience, he has an impressive track record of building global brands.
Peter has made the Qvest Group a global champion for the realization of innovative technology solutions along the entire digital media supply chain. In less than five years, he developed Qvest from a local brand into an international group of companies through organic growth and strategic acquisitions
Chuck Parker
Chief Executive Officer
Chuck Parker is the CEO of Sohonet, where he is responsible for the day-to-day execution of the growth strategy for the company, including geographical expansion and new products and services.
Chuck spent 15 years in various senior level roles at Technicolor including Chief Commercial Officer, President of their Digital Division and CIO. After Technicolor, Chuck founded the 2nd Screen Society and successfully lead the Unicorn Media team as the Chief Revenue Officer through rapid growth and ultimately to a successful acquisition by Brightcove.
Frank Rippl
Global Head of TV Product
Frank Rippl brings over 20 years of leadership experience in product development, technology, and business strategy across the telecommunications and IT sectors. He has a proven track record of launching innovative products and leading international, cross-functional teams.
Currently, Frank serves as Director of TV & Entertainment at Vodafone Group, where he oversees Vodafone TV and the content subscription business combined with the E2E customer experience for these products. In this highly strategic role, he and his team consistently drive innovation and deliver sustained growth across the products under his leadership.
Previously, Frank held key positions at Deutsche Telekom, where he introduced Android TV across Europe and led the development and launch of major TV products, including the Magenta TV One set-top box. His earlier career includes leadership roles at Media Broadcast GmbH and LivingLogic AG, where he served as CEO. Frank is recognized for his analytical mindset, strong customer focus, and deep understanding of emerging technologies, combined with pragmatic problem-solving skills.
Jon Roberts
Chief Technology Officer
Jon leads ITN’s award-winning Technology division. He is responsible for leading the technical strategy for the company, including the management and development of broadcast and field operations, media and enterprise systems, technical support functions, capital project delivery and A.I.
Under his leadership the team has delivered a digital transformation at ITN, with a range of complex projects. These include transitioning to an IP structure at its HQ in Gray’s Inn Road, the implementation of a new News Production System, the build of the new ITV Newsroom, including their digital-first newsroom studio, Channel 4 News’ innovative remote studio and newsroom in Leeds, as well as full control room refreshes for ITV, Channel 5 and this year Channel 4.
David Ross
Chief Executive Officer
David has been surrounded by engineering, business, and video technology his entire life.
He began programming in 1975 at the age of nine. While in high school, David won three major engineering competitions at the national level with projects involving real time programming and computer graphics.
David graduated university with a degree in Computer Engineering with a heavy business emphasis. He also gained co-op experience at Ross, the CBC and Electrohome working on projectors and video effects units.
David joined Ross Video full time in 1991 with successively more responsibilities including product management and running the R&D department until eventually becoming president in 2004 and then CEO in 2006. David is also Chairman of the board and now the majority shareholder of Ross Video with over 80% control and ownership, while also making Ross an ESOP company with considerable employee ownership. Ross has no private equity ownership.
Ross Video’s sales have grown at a consistent cumulative rate of about 15% per year since he joined in 1991. In fact, the company has not yet seen a single down year in sales, even in recessions.
David has received many awards and honorary diplomas including an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa for achievements in Engineering and Business in 2017 and is a Fellow of both the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).
A big believer in learning from others and sharing, David has been a member of CEO organizations for decades and has been a member of TEC (known as Vistage in the US) since 2011. He has even been known to listen to management books while competing in Marathon races.
Bart Spriester
SVP and GM, Streaming,
Broadcast & Advertising
Bart Spriester is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Streaming, Broadcast, & Advertising for Comcast Technology Solutions. In this role, Bart oversees sales, service, and product management for the business, delivering solutions to hundreds of media and technology companies worldwide.
An industry veteran, Bart served as Senior Vice President, Video Products and Solutions for Harmonic, Inc. prior to joining the Comcast Technology Solutions leadership team in 2018. Previously, Bart was the Executive Vice President and General Manager, North America, and CTO for Encompass Digital Media where he improved its market competitiveness and customer support through centralized and standardized business systems. He came to Encompass from Cisco Systems where he was the Vice President and General Manager for the Digital Media Networks business unit. He also served as managing director of Cisco’s EMEA Video Division and was named to the company’s European Operating Committee.
Bart earned his MBA at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a B.S. in electrical and electronics engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign. Bart is a Six Sigma yellow belt and a graduate of the Executive Management Program from Harvard Business School.
Lena Stormvinge
Director of Operations
Lena Stormvinge is an experienced leader with a long background in driving customer-focused transformations across multiple industries. Her expertise is in creating strategic to operational plans that connect customers’ changing needs with efficient processes, where innovation, sustainability and profitability go hand in hand. In 2016, Lena published her first book on knowledge management, which established her as a thought leader in her field.
Baskar Subramanian
Co-founder and CEO
Baskar is a serial entrepreneur with many patents to his name.
As CEO, Baskar drives Amagi’s vision, growth strategy and execution, enabling transformation of the global media and entertainment industry through technology innovation. Baskar has been instrumental in developing several of Amagi’s path-defining technologies on cloud broadcast and frame-accurate ad splicing for both TV and OTT. Under Baskar’s leadership, Amagi has demonstrated strong growth, becoming an industry leader in SaaS-based solutions for broadcast.
Prior to Amagi, Baskar co-founded ImpulseSoft, a wireless technology company, which was later acquired by NASDAQ-listed SiRF. He started his career as a software engineer at Texas Instruments before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey. To foster a culture of entrepreneurship in the society, Baskar regularly shares his insights and expertise with start-ups and small businesses. He is a well-known speaker at technology and industry events, evangelising the use of cloud for broadcast industry transformation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Technology from the Government College of Technology (GCT), Coimbatore, India.
Baskar is a cycling enthusiast and a nature-lover. He enjoys seeking out and exploring cycling trails in and around Bangalore City, as well as traveling.
Josh Stinehour
Principal Analyst
Josh Stinehour is a principal analyst with Devoncroft Partners, a provider of market research and strategic consulting services to a wide range of digital media clients and institutional investors. He is a frequent presenter at conferences and trade shows in the media technology sector.
Prior to joining Devoncroft, Mr. Stinehour was a managing director at Silverwood Partners in the firm’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications group. While at Silverwood, Mr. Stinehour executed a range of transactions including mergers and acquisitions, valuations, and private placements.
Before joining Silverwood, Mr. Stinehour worked in various positions at EMC Corporation including as a software programmer and later as an analyst on integration teams for EMC’s acquisitions of Documentum, Legato, and VMWare.
Josh loves (and has an encyclopedic knowledge of) college football and NBA basketball (although he thinks college basketball is an inferior product). His hobbies include monetary policy, civic planning, and adventure travel.
He holds an MBA from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College, an MS in computer science from Rochester Institute of Technology, and a BS in computer science from Union College. Mr. Stinehour is a CFA charterholder.
Joe Zaller
Founder & President
Joe is the founder of Devoncroft Partners, a leading provider of market intelligence in the media technology sector.
Joe is the founder of Devoncroft Partners, a leading provider of market intelligence in the media technology sector.
Devoncroft provides market research and strategic consulting services to a wide range of clients in the media technology sector. The company publishes a variety of syndicated market research reports, including the annual Devoncroft Media Technology Survey, the largest and most comprehensive study of the professional audio and video market, and comprehensive market sizing and forecasting reports of the media technology sector.
In addition to syndicated research reports, Devoncroft is frequently retained for custom projects by some of the world’s leading brands including broadcasters and media companies. technology suppliers, large consulting firms, educational establishments, private equity firms, investment banks, and other financial institutions.
Devoncroft also produces a series of executive summits that bring together thought-leading speakers from across the media technology ecosystem. Since the initial conference in 2012, Devoncroft Executive Summits have grown to be one of the must-attend events in the media technology calendar.
Joe has a BSc in Business Administration and BA in Philosophy from Villanova University, where he developed a lifelong love of college basketball, and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Irvine. He also completed various executive courses at Stanford University and the Richard Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario.
Joe, his long-suffering wife, and their three daughters live in San Diego, CA.
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