Nick Thexton to become new YouView CTO; Emma Scott leaving Freesat

Nick Thexton, currently VP and CTO for Cisco’s Video Software Solutions group, will become the Chief Technology Officer at the UK hybrid broadcast broadband platform operator YouView at the start of November. Richard Halton, CEO at YouView says Thexton brings deep knowledge of the sector and a global perspective to an already well established technology team. “His appointment, combined with the backing of all seven shareholders for another five years, with the impetus of increased investment, makes this an exciting time to be part of the YouView story.”

YouView has recently announced a recruitment drive that will expand its technology team by more than half, with the ambition to recruit 50+ product designers, developers and test engineers. The company says it is preparing for the “next stages of pioneering connected TV development.”

Meanwhile, Emma Scott will be standing down from her post as Managing Director of Freesat, the other major UK free-to-air platform, at the end of the year. She has been at the helm of the company for seven years. She was originally Launch Director at the BBC for the project (the platform is a BBC/ITV joint venture). Freesat is used in nearly 2 million homes. Alistair Thom, currently Freesat’s Finance Director and Company Secretary, will become Managing Director on January 1.