Cobalt Digital announces multiple promotions of key personnel

Cobalt Digital has announced the promotion of four key team members. Chris Shaw (pictured) moves into COO spot, Suzana Brady becomes SVP of worldwide sales & marketing, and Nick Maag and Monte Variakojis are elevated to VPs.

“We are fortunate to have such talented, skilled and knowledgeable individuals at the helm of Cobalt Digital as we continue this period of extraordinary change and growth,” said Gene Zimmerman, president of Cobalt Digital. “The industry, and the world, had to pivot overnight in 2020 and yet these four people not only made it work, they made it one of our most successful years ever, which has spilled into 2021.”

Shaw has moved into the position of COO from executive vice president of sales and marketing. An industry veteran, Shaw fist joined Cobalt in 2006 to establish the company’s global dealer network and grow its presence through integrated sales, marketing and communication initiatives. Previously he held leadership positions with Linear Acoustic and Wohler, responsible for sales in regions ranging from the Americas to the entire world. In his new role, Shaw will continue to oversee the sales team and marketing efforts, but also focus on all areas of business development, including expansion of the company’s solution platforms and its growth in international markets.

Brady, formerly vice president of sales in the Americas, will work closely with the executive team to define geographical and technical areas of growth and implement sales, marketing and operational strategies. Brady’s career has spanned over two decades and includes work in data networking, wireless, broadband and broadcast technology spaces. Prior to Cobalt she held technical sales and marketing management positions at ImmediaTV, IDC, Logic Innovations, SkyStream Networks and 3Com Corp. Brady also serves as chairman for the RIST Forum (Reliable Internet Streaming Transport).

Maag, who was formerly director of manufacturing, began his tenure with Cobalt in 2005 as production manager. In his new position, Maag will continue to manage the day-to-day operations of Cobalt’s contract manufacturers, test department and shipping/receiving activities. He will report directly to Shaw and interface closely with other senior members of the engineering, sales and accounting teams to develop and evaluate new processes that streamline all manufacturing activities with the ultimate goal of guaranteeing customer satisfaction.

Variakojis, a software engineer and architect for nearly three decades, has been elevated to his new role from engineering manager, software products. Variakojis will be responsible for developing and managing Cobalt’s overall software strategy that includes evaluating and selecting the most appropriate system architectures and ensuring that the company’s platforms support all the latest formats, including 3G/HD/SD and IPTV solutions. Reporting to Ciro Noronha, Cobalt’s executive vice president of engineering, Variakojis will also focus on creating advanced user interfaces and protocols to enhance the user experience for the company’s customers.

“Chris, Suzana, Nick and Monte have been vital to the success of Cobalt and we are proud to recognise their contributions and accomplishments with these promotions,” said Zimmerman. “Despite a challenging global environment, Cobalt has excelled in 2020-2021. Our entire team has been amazing, bringing upgrades, enhancements, new products and overall satisfaction to our growing client base, and these four have gone above and beyond expectations. They’ve each demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities during difficult times, ensuring processes were adapted to meet new guidelines and protocols, and guaranteeing that our customers’ needs were always met with the most targeted and cost-effective solutions possible.”