New CEO Announcement

Blackbird announces that Sumit Rai has been appointed as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Ian McDonough, with effect from 9 November 2026. Ian McDonough remains an employee and director of the Company.

Sumit Rai has served as the Company’s Chief Product Officer since 2022, leading the design and development of elevate.io. He will now assume responsibility for all of the Company’s operations and businesses.

Sumit Rai, Chief Executive Officer of Blackbird plc, commented:

"I am proud of what we have achieved with elevate.io over the past four years. We have made significant progress in developing and bringing the platform to market, and I look forward to leading the Company through its next phase of its growth."

Ian McDonough commented:

“I am a huge believer in Blackbird’s technology and the future of elevate.io. With the platform now surpassing its first thousand paying users and achieving significant validation through our partnership with Google, we have reached an important milestone in its development. We have a natural succession in place, and I firmly believe Sumit is the right leader to take the business forward. His deep product knowledge, passion and expertise in the video creation space will be instrumental in driving the Company forward.”

 Youri Hazanov, Chairman of Blackbird plc, commented:

"The Board fully supports Sumit's appointment as Chief Executive Officer. His experience and leadership of elevate.io position him well to take the Company forward.  On behalf of the Board, I would also like to thank Ian McDonough for his leadership and contribution to Blackbird over the past nine years as Chief Executive Officer."