Showtime appoints heavy-weight VP of sales

With an MBA in general management and finance, he brings with him a wealth of experience spanning 21 years in sales from the UK and Europe, dealing with cable TV, utilities and telephony.

His most recent assignment was with the UK's Npower, part of the German utilities giant, RWE. Black led the sales drive that witnessed unparalleled customer growth from a base of 2m to a massive 6m subscribers in just five years. With the pay TV sector ripe to grow in the region, with estimates of 70-80% penetration of the upmarket target group, Showtime's focus on acquisition and maintenance of their subscriber base will be Black's main priority.

Black sites his previous four years experience with Nynex Cablecomms and Cable & Wireless communications as a highly beneficial asset in the context of working with Showtime. This hybrid communications provider was the product of a merger between Mercury, Bell CableMedia, Nynex and Videotron. Black says that he's set to bring the best from all of these experiences to the region where he's now based.

He said "it's fantastic for me to be a part of the Showtime team - I can see the huge potential within the company and the people who work for the organization. I look forward to playing my part in making the business even more successful by ensuring we have the best sales force: that is highly trained, highly motivated and, above all else, highly productive. This is an exciting business, with the opportunities and potential that is there in the market, there is no other place on earth I would rather be!"

Black's role at Showtime will involve managing the sales operation from their new Dubai Media City premises, covering 22 licensed territories and a team of 90 people. His main objective is to grow the already burgeoning subscriber base.