Rod Perth, president and CEO of NATPE||Content First, has extended his contract with the organization through February 2016, at which time he will join its board of directors.
Perth, who joined NATPE in May 2012, will then help select a new leader for the non-profit association and continue to manage the business throughout the course of a succession plan, said NATPE board chairman Jordan Levin on Thursday.
“These actions we are taking reflect the culmination of a multi-year turnaround effort made possible by all of the success we’ve achieved during Rod’s watch,” said Levin in a statement. “The very positive responses to our market/conferences in Miami and other year-round activities are a testimonial to his efforts and that of our entire NATPE staff. We will be conducting a search for a new executive who will work closely with Rod, culminating in the hand off next February following our 2016 market and conference.”
Levin continued: “Under his leadership, Rod has greatly increased NATPE’s visibility and return to relevance by increasing industry participation across all sectors and platforms. Now that he has succeeded in his mission, we can move to the next phase of the transition by positioning this organization for the future with must-attend events in both the U.S. and internationally. For all of the various constituencies that depend on NATPE’s stability and continued growth, I am excited to see Rod remain in a senior leadership position for at least the next three years.”
“It’s been a whirlwind three years and I am proud that, along with the teamwork of this great staff and an energized board, we have successfully repositioned NATPE with a strategy that is broad and inclusive, and one that reflects the dynamic changes that are having a profound impact on our business,” said Perth in a statement. “Given my family priorities, I recently began discussing with the board how I could make an orderly transition from day-to-day duties, and this contract extension will encourage a thoughtful transition to new leadership.”
Under Perth’s leadership, NATPE is evolving from a syndication-focused trade show into an organization dedicated to bringing together every sector of the video content business, organizing forums that touch on every sector, including scripted and non-scripted content across traditional and digital platforms, domestic and global distribution and, increasingly, advertising, brands and investment banking. NATPE’s main U.S. conference takes place every January, and it holds a European conference each June.
