David Lowen to head SysMedia

SysMedia, specialist in high-reliability production systems for interactive television, digital text and teletext services, have announced the appointment of David Lowen as chief executive officer.
He succeeds Managing Director Richard Oppé who recently left the company. Lowen has a long and distinguished broadcast-industry career. Graduating from Cambridge in economics, he worked initially as a newspaper journalist before joining Southern Television in 1971. He progressed to Westward TV in 1974, becoming Head of News. In 1977 he joined Yorkshire TV as a producer, becoming Director of Network Programme Development following Yorkshire's integration with Tyne Tees. From 1995 to 1998 he was the company's Director of Corporate Development and a director of Westminster-based Millbank Television Studios.
He joined the board of Yorkshire Screen Commission Ltd in 1996, combining this with further non-executive board appointments at Leeds Media Ltd (chairman and director) and Television Monitoring Services Ltd (director). He is chairman and CEO of ITVMC Ltd and was previously also CEO of the Local Broadcasting Group Ltd. He has held consultancy roles at ITV Network Ltd and Informed Sources International Ltd.
In January of this year, he was installed as director general of EuroNews to see through a corporate restructure.
Lowen commented: "SysMedia has a highly successful track record in text- based information production and delivery systems. A lot of that is down to Richard and the team which he assembled. Working with technical director Andrew Lambourne and business development director Colin Prior, my task now is to ensure SysMedia delivers the tools which sustain our customers at the forefront of the industry.
"I know what it is like to struggle against deadlines, delivering high- quality programming on limited budgets. I also know how it feels when technology lets you down. With interactive broadcasting now a reality and the demand for fast and efficient subtitling continuing to grow, this is a time of great opportunity and new challenges.
"The companies that succeed in riding today's rapid wave of change will be those which combine a strong technical base with a keen understanding of their clients' business needs. My career background is such that SysMedia now effectively has one its own customers at the wheel."
(GB)