Friend MTS continues global growth with appointment of Simon Thornberry as Chief Operating Officer

London, 12th February 2024 – Friend MTS, the number one video content security and anti-piracy provider, today announces the appointment of Simon Thornberry as Chief Operating Officer (COO). The creation of this new position represents another significant milestone in the company’s operations as it continues to grow since the investment by private equity firm NorthEdge.

Simon will focus on enabling the development of existing sports and VOD markets, as well as other content ownership and creation markets, by delivering repeatable, scalable customer experiences, primarily through the increased use of automation. He brings over 20 years’ experience in B2B SaaS and high growth businesses, including 13 years at Mimecast where he was responsible for operations as the SaaS cyber security provider transitioned from start-up through IPO. More recently Simon was COO at Convertr, a SaaS data management company.

Simon Thornberry, COO at Friend MTS, commented, “The theft and illegal redistribution of premium content continues to threaten the revenues of broadcasters and streaming services and, for many, pirates are often their most formidable competitors. Friend MTS has an enviable track record in delivering robust solutions that are proven to tackle this challenge. Building on its commanding leadership position in anti-piracy, including protecting more than $50 billion of content rights, Friend MTS is poised for even greater growth. I believe that with efficient scaling of operations, customers will see benefits including more innovation and enhanced services, for example using our advanced data analytics for deeper insights into pirate networks leading to increased revenue.”

Shane McCarthy, CEO, Friend MTS, said, “Our future growth will build on our solid reputation and unparalleled success protecting live and VOD content for content creators of all sizes. Simon will drive a relentless customer focus, with increased automation, advanced data insights, and the continued use of AI across our portfolio. Simon has experienced first-hand many of the challenges faced by high-growth tech businesses and their customers, and will be instrumental in driving organisational excellence.”