NativeWaves strengthens management team and completes financing round

In conjunction with expanded global customer engagements and increasing revenue, NativeWaves has made three new appointments to its management leadership team.

From 1 January 2021, NativeWaves co-founder Christof Haslauer will become chief executive officer, and co-founder Oliver Dumböck will assume the role of chief technology officer. Haslauer replaces Eva Wimmers who will leave the company to pursue other business opportunities.

NativeWaves has also appointed Dr Robert Niemann as chief revenue officer, with responsibility for sales and generating new income streams. Dr Niemann brings decades of experience in international sports and entertainment to the company. He was, for many years, a consultant to FIFA in Zurich and was the founding director of the Institute of International Football Management in Munich.

Dr Niemann is currently a lecturer in sports management at the University of St Gallen in Switzerland. Prior to setting up his own company, NIEMANN GmbH, he held key positions at German Bundesliga, ProSieben, SONY Pictures, Yahoo Germany and Fremantle Media (RTL Group). He is also an investor in NativeWaves.

Pascal Levensohn, chairman of the NativeWaves board, commented on these changes: “Achieving significant commercial traction during the COVID-19 pandemic is a powerful market validation of the robustness of NativeWaves’ proprietary technology. The nature of sports entertainment delivery and fan interaction through digital media with live sports broadcasts has changed permanently. NativeWaves is positioned to drive that change globally.”

Levensohn thanked Wimmers for her leadership during the company’s initial commercial development: “Eva stepped in as CEO at a crucial time and her expertise brought process and structure to this emerging organisation. We were always aware that Eva’s time here would be limited and we remain very grateful for her commitment.”

Commenting on his appointment, Haslauer said: “NativeWaves is at an exciting stage. I am delighted by our strong momentum partnering with leading global organisations to deliver next-generation, multiscreen, personalised viewing experiences. I am particularly excited to welcome Robert Niemann to the company; his experience and contacts in the sports and broadcast arenas bring strong credibility to our organisation and will accelerate sales.”

“It is very exciting to be part of such a young and dynamic company that is capable of real technology innovation,” said Dr Niemann. “For years, broadcasters have aspired to give audiences a more engaging and personalised viewing experience, but until NativeWaves entered the market there wasn’t a reliable technological solution to make this dream a reality. That day has finally arrived, as the patented NativeWaves solution is being deployed to provide a seamless and synchronised experience across multiple screens. I believe NativeWaves’ solution can change the whole television viewing experience.”

In closing, Haslauer added: “Forging new partnerships, such as the one we announced recently with Stats Perform, will play a key role in the development of this new ecosystem for immersive fan engagement in professional live sports broadcasts.”