ONdigital appointment completes new line-up

Digital TV operator ONdigital has appointed a manager from New Zealand’s residential telecoms company to the post of chief operating officer, completing its management line-up after a string of top-level departures.

Rob Fyfe, aged 38, joins from Telecom New Zealand, the country’s biggest company, where he was general manager for consumers. He held responsibility for all products to the residential market, including mobile phone and Internet services.

His appointment comes after a flood of resignations at the digital TV broadcaster – nearly every director at the time of the company’s launch now now left.

Stephen Grabiner, ONdigital’s first chief executive, who quit to join venture capital firm Apax Partners, is in the throes of suing ONdigital, claiming he is owed a year’s salary. He was replaced by Stuart Prebble, Granada Media Group’s former managing director of channels and interactive media.

Since then, commercial director Jim Ratcliffe has left, while Ashley Faull, the programming boss and John Egan, the operations director, have resigned to launch an Internet company.

ONdigital, which is jointly owned by Carlton and Granada, has moved swiftly to fill the management gaps, hiring Graeme Stanley from Cable & Wireless Communications as director of broadcasting, Simon Dore from Granada Media as director of operations and bringing in consultant Peter Howard also from CWC.

Former Planet Hollywood marketer Guy Laurence was appointed director of sales and marketing in April.