Board
Our Board comprises highly experienced and visionary business leaders. The company’s vision is to engage, inspire and connect the world through video.
Youri Hazanov
Non-Executive Chair
Youri Hazanov brings a wealth of expertise in developing and scaling international businesses, extensive knowledge of partnerships across B2C and B2B sectors and a comprehensive understanding of the diverse business models that underpin success in the Creator Economy. As General Manager and Chief Partnerships Officer at JellySmack, a SoftBank-backed unicorn in the Creator economy, Youri leads the company’s global expansion efforts drawing on his deep knowledge of Partnerships and advanced analytics. Prior to JellySmack, Youri spent 10 years at Google launching, developing and managing YouTube across international markets. Fluent in five languages, he holds an MBA, a Master's in International Relations, and teaches Digital Marketing at the International University of Monaco.
Ian McDonough
Chief Executive Officer
Ian brings considerable knowledge and experience of delivering growth and value in the global media sector. His core expertise is in building high-value and commercially innovative partnerships. During his five years at BBC Worldwide, he rose to become Executive Vice President and General Manager for one of seven global regions. Most recently, Ian covered the UK, Ireland, Nordic and Baltic countries as Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Turner (formerly Turner Broadcasting). He previously held senior commercial posts at A&E Europe and Viacom Asia.
Dr Stephen Streater
R&D Director
Stephen started his public company career as a founder of Eidos plc where his positions included Managing Director and Director of Video Technology. He founded and successfully floated Blackbird plc, where his combination of expertise in technology, business and finance has been instrumental in the evolution of the company. Stephen spends time presenting his revolutionary ideas to public audiences, both at exhibitions and in the press.
Sumit Rai
Chief Product Officer
Sumit Rai is a technology executive and product strategist with over 25 years of leadership spanning cloud SaaS, digital video, and visual effects. He currently serves as Chief Product Officer at Blackbird plc and is the co-founder of elevate.io, a browser-based multiplayer video editing platform. A pioneer in video architecture, Sumit brings deep expertise across the end-to-end production lifecycle, from high-end broadcast television and film to modern web-native creation tools. Driven by a mission to democratize content creation, he offers the board invaluable strategic perspective on scaling enterprise SaaS products, product-led growth, and translating complex technical innovation into sustainable market expansion.
Nick Lisher
Non-Executive Director
Nick Lisher is a senior growth marketing executive known for his expertise in community building, digital and data driven performance marketing, and innovative brand development. With a career spanning over two decades, Nick has a proven track record of driving user acquisition and revenue growth, having held key leadership roles at Flo Health, Nextdoor, and Depop. Currently the Chief Growth Officer at Manual & Voy, Nick has spearheaded growth across diverse industries, including music, fashion, technology, education, and health.
