Thursday, 2 July 2026 · OTTRED Editorial
Dr Tzvi Gerstl
Is The New CEO
Of Synamedia.
Dr Tzvi Gerstl, a friend of the OTTRED community and one of the sharpest product minds in streaming, has been named Chief Executive Officer of Synamedia. Paul Segre, CEO for the past six years, steps into the role of Executive Chairman. Here is our take on a genuinely exciting appointment, what it means, who Tzvi is, and why this community has every reason to celebrate.
FILED BY
OTTRED Editorial
SOURCE
Synamedia Press Release
5 min read
SYNAMEDIA PRESS RELEASE · 1 JULY 2026
Synamedia Appoints Dr Tzvi Gerstl as CEO as Company Enters Next Phase of Growth
London, 1 July 2026. Synamedia today announced the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, transitions to the role of Executive Chairman, where he will continue to provide strategic guidance and support the company's long-term growth agenda.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
A new CEO, a company
entering its next chapter.
The announcement lands the day after Synamedia completed the divestiture of its Video Network business to Lumine Group, the deal that gave the world Quortex as an independent company. With that separation complete, Synamedia is a leaner, sharper business, focused entirely on helping operators and media companies attract, engage, and monetise audiences through next-generation video experiences. Naming Tzvi Gerstl as CEO at exactly this moment is not a coincidence. It is the second half of the same story.
Gerstl has been at the centre of shaping and executing the strategy behind that next phase. Under his leadership, Synamedia has driven real, measurable improvements in innovation, execution, and customer outcomes, and built fresh momentum through new customer wins with BFBS, MTN, Mileto Tecnologia, Partner Communications, and YES, alongside product launches including GO Shorts and the award-winning Senza Ignite. Paul Segre is not stepping away. As Executive Chairman, he stays closely involved, continuing to support Tzvi and the leadership team as they build on the foundation the last six years put in place.
It is worth pausing on how well earned this moment is. Leadership transitions of this scale usually come with uncertainty. This one comes with the opposite: genuine excitement, from the Synamedia board, from customers who already work with Tzvi directly, and from this community, who have watched him operate up close for years. Succession planning done well looks exactly like this, a company promoting the person who has already proven, in the room and in the results, that they can carry the vision forward.
"Tzvi understands our customers because he spends time with them, our technology because he's helped shape it, and our business because he has been instrumental in its success. The Board and I are confident there is no better person to lead Synamedia into its next chapter."
Paul Segre, Executive Chairman, Synamedia
KEY FACTS AT A GLANCE
WHAT CHANGED
Dr Tzvi Gerstl appointed Chief Executive Officer of Synamedia
OUTGOING CEO
Paul Segre, CEO for the past six years, moves to Executive Chairman
TIMING
Announced the day after Synamedia completed the divestiture of its Video Network business to Lumine Group
GERSTL'S TRACK RECORD
Central to shaping Synamedia's next-phase strategy, driving new wins with BFBS, MTN, Mileto Tecnologia, Partner Communications and YES, plus GO Shorts and Senza Ignite
SEGRE'S CONTINUED ROLE
Remains closely involved as Executive Chairman, supporting long-term growth strategy
OTTRED CONNECTION
Tzvi is a member of the OTTRED community and a genuine friend of the network
WHO IS TZVI GERSTL
A builder first,
an executive second.
Before this appointment, Tzvi held the role of GM, Media Cloud Technology at Synamedia, where he was directly responsible for the strategy and delivery behind Synamedia Go, Senza, and Iris, the very products now sitting at the centre of the company's sharpened focus. He is known across the industry, and inside this community, for a rare combination of traits: deep technical fluency, genuine curiosity about operator problems, and an unusual willingness to spend time actually talking to customers rather than presenting to them.
That is not a small distinction. In a sector full of executives who talk about customer centricity, Gerstl has built a reputation for practising it, sitting with operator teams, understanding where their monetisation and engagement strategies are actually breaking down, and translating that directly into product decisions. It is precisely why Segre described him as understanding Synamedia's customers, technology, and business all at once, because he has lived inside all three.
Colleagues describe him as approachable in a way that is rare at his level, someone who will happily get into the detail of a roadmap conversation with an engineer one hour and stand in front of a room of operator CEOs the next, without ever changing register. That range, technical credibility paired with genuine warmth, is exactly what makes a strong CEO, and it is exactly what this community has always admired about him.
A FRIEND OF THE COMMUNITY
This one is personal for OTTRED.
Tzvi is not a distant industry figure to this community, he is one of us. As a longstanding member of the OTTRED network and a genuine friend to what we are building, he has been part of the same conversations, WhatsApp threads, and events that make this community what it is. Watching a friend step into one of the most consequential CEO roles in streaming technology is exactly the kind of moment OTTRED exists to celebrate and cover properly, not as a distant press release, but as news that touches people we actually know.
It also says something bigger about the calibre of people inside this network. When the professionals building products, running platforms, and shaping strategy inside the world's leading media technology companies are the same people showing up in this community, it confirms what OTTRED has believed from day one: the best intelligence comes from the people actually doing the work.
It is also a nice reminder of a fact this community should be proud of: Synamedia Go is the proud sponsor of the OTTRED app. Seeing a sponsor's own leadership rise like this, with someone the community already knows and trusts at the helm, only strengthens the partnership. Congratulations, Tzvi, from all of us at OTTRED.
"The media industry is navigating profound change as audiences increasingly expect video experiences that are personalised, mobile, and available everywhere. At the same time, operators and media companies need to grow audiences, create new revenue streams, and reduce complexity. That is exactly where Synamedia can make a real difference. The future of video will be shaped by those who can attract audiences, monetise effectively, and simplify operations. I am proud to lead one of the most talented teams in the industry and excited about the value we can create with our customers and partners as we enter Synamedia's next chapter."
Dr Tzvi Gerstl, CEO, Synamedia
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE INDUSTRY
Synamedia's next phase of growth
just got a face.
With the Video Network business now independent as Quortex, Synamedia is a company defined by one clear mandate, helping operators and media companies attract, engage, and monetise audiences through streaming, advertising, monetisation, security, and audience engagement, all under one integrated platform. Appointing an internal product leader rather than an outside executive to run that mandate is a signal in itself. The board is betting on continuity of vision, not a reset.
For the OTTRED community, the implications are practical as much as symbolic. Expect Synamedia Go, Senza, and Iris to keep moving fast under a CEO who built them. Expect the customer-centric instincts Tzvi is known for to shape a company culture as much as a product roadmap. And expect this leadership transition, on the back of a major divestiture, to be studied by competitors as a template for how a video technology company sharpens its focus without losing its momentum.
6 yrs
Paul Segre's tenure as CEO, now Executive Chairman
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three things the OTTRED
community should follow closely
How does Tzvi's product background shape the executive agenda?
Gerstl built his reputation from inside Synamedia Go, Senza, and Iris. Watch for how that hands-on product instinct translates into company-wide priorities as CEO, particularly around the pace of new capability launches.
Does the pace of Synamedia Go's evolution pick up?
GO Smart and GO Shorts already signalled aggressive movement into personalisation and short-form content. With the architect of that strategy now in the top seat, expect the roadmap to move even faster.
What does this mean for OTTRED's growing network of industry leaders?
Tzvi's appointment is a reminder that this community is not a spectator to the industry, it is populated by the people shaping it. Watch for more of these stories as OTTRED's network continues to grow.
OTTRED EDITORIAL · JULY 2026
Congratulations, Tzvi
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