Conviva, a provider of online-video management solutions, has hired Darren Feher -- most recently NBC Universal's chief technology officer -- as president and CEO.
Feher, 37, succeeds company co-founder Hui Zhang, who will assume the role of chief scientist and "will focus on driving product direction and innovation," the company said.
Previously Feher spent almost 10 years at General Electric and NBCU. At GE, he held several technology leadership roles and was a Six Sigma Quality Leader focused on delivering defect-free technologies using statistical process control. He also spent five years as an officer with the U.S. Army Signal Corps.
"Darren's deep media experience and unique blend of organizational leadership, technical acumen and entrepreneurial spirit is exactly what Conviva needs as the company continues to set the gold-standard of quality in the online video space," Zhang said in an announcement.
Feher commented, "As CTO for NBC Universal, I worked with countless technology companies and know firsthand that content owners will only trust their valuable assets to proven solutions based on both science and real-world experience."
San Mateo, Calif.-based Conviva, founded in 2006, is backed by Foundation Capital, NEA and UV Ventures. The company's media control platform manages the distribution of media over heterogeneous resources.
Customers include NBCU, Indy Racing League and Yahoo. The startup is working with Microsoft, which will use the Conviva platform as part of streaming NBC's coverage of the Vancouver Winter Games from Vancouver, Feb. 12-28, 2010.
