Your vision,
our mission

Tzvi Gerstl

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Tzvi Gerstl is Chief Executive Officer of Synamedia, a leading provider of video software solutions that help operators, broadcasters, and media companies create, deliver, and monetize exceptional viewing experiences.

A technology and business leader with more than 25 years of experience in the media and telecommunications industry, Tzvi has played a central role in shaping Synamedia’s strategy, innovation agenda, and operational transformation. Throughout his career, he has led large global organizations across engineering, product development, cloud platforms, cybersecurity, enterprise technology, and business operations.

Before becoming CEO, Tzvi served in several executive leadership positions at Synamedia, including Chief Technology Officer and General Manager. He led the company’s product and technology strategy, accelerated innovation in cloud video platforms, streaming, advertising, and user experiences, and helped drive significant improvements in execution, customer success, and business performance.

Prior to joining Synamedia, Tzvi held senior leadership roles at Cisco and NDS, where he led global engineering organizations and the development of large-scale video and software platforms used by operators worldwide.

Tzvi holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science, specializing in scheduling algorithms, and has authored more than 25 academic publications. He is also a Dean Fellow at the Business School of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he contributes to the development of future business and technology leaders.

Under Tzvi’s leadership, Synamedia is focused on helping customers attract, engage, and monetize audiences through innovation, operational excellence, and the next generation of video experiences.

Claire Lea

Chief Financial Officer

Claire is our Chief Financial Officer and has over 25 years experience supporting blue-chip and private equity businesses through growth and transformation, focusing on driving value creation in global tech, telco and media companies.

Prior to joining Synamedia, Claire has held leadership roles at Vodafone, where she was CFO at Vodafone Roaming Services in Luxembourg from its inception in 2008 to 2012 and Dentsu, where she was CFO for UK & Northern Europe from 2013-2017 delivering multiple M&A deals along with restructuring and business transformation programmes. Since 2017 Claire has worked in private equity backed businesses, taking Investis Digital through a transformational growth journey to a successful sale to Investcorp in 2021; leading restructuring, divestments, carve-outs and consolidations at Framestore and Company 3; and supporting Inflexion in carving out the Healthcare division of Global Data.

Steve Reeves

Chief Revenue Officer

Steve Reeves serves as Chief Revenue Officer at Synamedia, where he leads the company’s global revenue strategy across sales, commercial operations, and go-to-market execution. He is responsible for driving sustainable growth, strengthening customer partnerships, and expanding Synamedia’s leadership position across video, streaming, and SaaS solutions.

With more than 30 years of experience in the media and technology industries, Steve has built a reputation for combining deep industry expertise with strong commercial leadership. Throughout his career, he has led global teams across sales, service delivery, professional services, and business operations, helping organizations navigate industry transformation while accelerating growth and delivering business outcomes for customers.

Since joining the business in 1995, Steve has held a number of senior leadership positions spanning professional services, sales, and commercial operations. He has played a key role in strengthening Synamedia’s go-to-market capabilities, expanding strategic customer relationships, and supporting the evolution of the company’s portfolio to address the rapidly changing video and streaming landscape.

Prior to Synamedia, Steve held leadership roles at Cisco and NDS, where he was responsible for delivering complex technology solutions and leading customer-facing organizations supporting some of the world’s largest communications and media providers. His blend of technical expertise, operational leadership, and commercial acumen has made him a trusted partner to customers and a key driver of Synamedia’s growth strategy.

Shauna O’Handley

Chief People & Places Officer

Shauna O’Handley is Synamedia’s EVP of People & Places focusing on connections locally and globally that create experiences for our people of today and tomorrow to thrive, innovate and win. 

Having joined Synamedia in July 2019, Shauna brings with her multisector experience most recently in FinTech Private Equity where she led the people transformation agenda focused on culture, learning, engagement, and success. Shauna is a passionate believer that DE&I, innovation, and collaboration create an empowered environment that is fundamental to any business strategy’s success. 

Eli Sharon

Chief Technology Officer

Eli Sharon serves as Chief Technology Officer at Synamedia, where he leads the company’s global technology strategy and engineering organisation. He is responsible for driving the development of Synamedia’s technology portfolio, advancing cloud-native video solutions, and ensuring the company continues to deliver industry-leading innovation for service providers and media companies worldwide.

With more than 30 years of experience in the media and technology industry, Eli has built a distinguished career leading engineering, product development and technology transformation initiatives. His expertise spans video platforms, cloud technologies, media delivery, and large-scale software solutions, helping organizations navigate evolving market demands while accelerating innovation and business growth.

Since joining the Cisco video business in 2010 and subsequently Synamedia in 2018, Eli has held a number of senior engineering leadership roles. He has played a pivotal role in advancing Synamedia’s cloud technology strategy, scaling engineering capabilities, and driving the delivery of innovative solutions that enable customers to build, manage and monetize next-generation video services.

Prior to Synamedia, Eli held leadership positions at Cisco, Playcast Media Systems, Optibase and YES Satellite Services, where he led engineering, delivery and technology organizations supporting some of the industry’s most advanced video and communications platforms. His combination of deep technical expertise, operational leadership and passion for innovation has helped shape the evolution of video technology across the media industry.

Ismat Levin

Chief Legal Officer

Ismat Levin is Synamedia’s Group General Counsel. Ismat has over 25 years of experience in commercial and international growth and extensive experience in technology-led software industries in NASDAQ and private equity contexts. She also has substantial understanding of M&A, Risk, ESG, cyber security and the global investment community.

Prior to joining Synamedia, Ismat was Group General Counsel at NDS Group Limited for over 20 years as it grew from a startup investment owned by News Corporation, to being a NASDAQ publicly listed company for 10 years to being sold to Cisco Systems Inc. for $5BN and more recently to being taken private again by Permira Private Equity.

Shlomi Rosenberg

Chief Customer Success Officer

Shlomi Rosenberg serves as Chief Customer Success Officer at Synamedia, where he leads the global organization responsible for customer delivery, customer support, infrastructure operations, and service excellence. He is responsible for ensuring customers successfully deploy, operate, and maximize the value of Synamedia’s solutions, while maintaining the reliability, performance, and operational excellence required to support mission-critical video services around the world.

With more than two decades of experience in the media and technology industry, Shlomi has built a distinguished career leading global teams across delivery, operations, support, and technology. He combines deep technical expertise with a strong customer-centric approach, helping organizations navigate complex technology transformations while delivering measurable business outcomes.

Throughout his career at Synamedia, Shlomi has held a number of senior leadership roles spanning customer delivery, operations, and technology. He has played a pivotal role in strengthening the company’s global services capabilities, scaling customer support operations, and ensuring the successful deployment and ongoing operation of solutions for many of the world’s leading video service providers.

Under Shlomi’s leadership, teams across delivery, support, technical operations, and infrastructure work together to provide customers with a seamless experience throughout their journey with Synamedia. His organization combines deep product knowledge, technical expertise, and operational excellence to help customers accelerate time to value, optimize performance, and achieve long-term success.

Prior to his appointment as Chief Customer Success Officer, Shlomi held a variety of leadership positions within Synamedia and its predecessor organizations, building extensive expertise across video technologies, cloud platforms, service delivery, and customer operations. His commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and customer success continues to help customers thrive in an increasingly dynamic and competitive media landscape.

Tzvi Gerstl

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Tzvi Gerstl is Chief Executive Officer of Synamedia, a leading provider of video software solutions that help operators, broadcasters, and media companies create, deliver, and monetize exceptional viewing experiences.

A technology and business leader with more than 25 years of experience in the media and telecommunications industry, Tzvi has played a central role in shaping Synamedia’s strategy, innovation agenda, and operational transformation. Throughout his career, he has led large global organizations across engineering, product development, cloud platforms, cybersecurity, enterprise technology, and business operations.

Before becoming CEO, Tzvi served in several executive leadership positions at Synamedia, including Chief Technology Officer and General Manager. He led the company’s product and technology strategy, accelerated innovation in cloud video platforms, streaming, advertising, and user experiences, and helped drive significant improvements in execution, customer success, and business performance.

Prior to joining Synamedia, Tzvi held senior leadership roles at Cisco and NDS, where he led global engineering organizations and the development of large-scale video and software platforms used by operators worldwide.

Tzvi holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science, specializing in scheduling algorithms, and has authored more than 25 academic publications. He is also a Dean Fellow at the Business School of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he contributes to the development of future business and technology leaders.

Under Tzvi’s leadership, Synamedia is focused on helping customers attract, engage, and monetize audiences through innovation, operational excellence, and the next generation of video experiences.

Paul Segre

Executive Chairman

Paul Segre serves as Executive Chairman of Synamedia, providing strategic guidance to the company’s leadership team and Board as it continues to help video service providers grow revenue, protect content, and deliver exceptional viewing experiences at scale.

Since joining Synamedia as Chief Executive Officer in 2020, Paul has led a significant transformation of the business, expanding the company’s portfolio to include market-leading streaming and SaaS solutions alongside its traditional strength in PayTV. Under his leadership, Synamedia strengthened its cloud-based offerings, expanded its global presence, accelerated innovation, and sharpened its focus on customer success, enabling clients to thrive in an increasingly dynamic and competitive media landscape.

Paul brings more than three decades of leadership experience building and scaling global technology businesses. Prior to joining Synamedia, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Genesys for 12 years. In 2012, he led the $1.6 billion spin-out of Genesys from Alcatel-Lucent (now Nokia), backed by the Permira Funds. During his tenure, he completed 16 acquisitions and transformed Genesys into one of the world’s largest privately held software companies.

Earlier in his career, Paul served on the Executive Committee of Alcatel-Lucent as President of the Applications Group, a $2.9 billion division that included Genesys and a broad portfolio of telecommunications software businesses. He also held senior leadership positions in strategy, business development, and product management at DSC, Bell Labs, and AT&T Network Systems.

As Executive Chairman, Paul continues to play an important role in shaping Synamedia’s long-term strategy, supporting the company’s leadership team, and helping position the business for continued growth and innovation

Richard Sanders

Partner, Co-Head of Technology, Permira

Richard is a Partner. He is Co-Head of the Technology Sector team and a member of the Investment Committee. He spent the first nine years at Permira based in the London office, before relocating to the United States in 2008 to set up the Menlo Park office. Richard returned to London in 2011. He has worked on numerous transactions including Allegro Group, ABS, Freescale Semiconductor, Genesys, Inmarsat, Intelsat, NDS, TeamViewer and Teraco.

Prior to joining Permira, Richard worked for Morgan Stanley in London in the M&A and High Yield Capital Markets divisions.

Ryan Lanpher

Partner, Permira

Ryan is a partner and focuses on investment opportunities in the Technology sector. He has worked on a number of transactions including Genesys, Informatica, and Metalogix. He is currently a Non-Executive Director at Genesys, Informatica and Metalogix.

Prior to pursuing his MBA, Ryan worked in Permira’s Menlo Park office for three years. Before that, he worked at Bank of America in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group.

Nic Volpi

Partner, Permira

Nic joined the Permira New York office in 2004 and relocated to Menlo Park in 2011. He is a member of the Financing Group and has worked on numerous transactions including Ancestry, Curriculum Associates, Duff & Phelps / Kroll, Intelsat, Magento, Renaissance Learning, Sushiro, TeamViewer and Tricor.

Nic is an Investment lead for Permira’s social impact partnership with Food for Soul, a charity partner with the Permira Foundation.

Prior to joining Permira, Nic spent four years at Brera Capital Partners where he worked on middle-market buy-outs. Before that, he worked at Index Securities in Geneva and spent three years in the Financial Institutions Group at Merrill Lynch in New York.

Nic has a degree in Business Administration from Georgetown University, USA, and an MBA from Stanford University, USA.