Technology and digital product specialist, Peter Riz and communication and digital veterans, Zahra Zayat and Sonia Lekhal set to guide OSN in a new era of TV consumption
OSN, the region’s leading entertainment business has announced three senior appointments as it continues to expand its presence in the Middle East. Zahra Zayat joins as Senior Vice President – Telco and OTT, Sonia Lekhal as Chief Marketing Officer and Peter Riz as Chief Technology Officer.
Zahra Zayat joins OSN with an extensive experience in both regional Pay TV and OTT. Now serving as Senior Vice President – Telco and OTT on the network’s leadership team, Zayat leads strategy on the digital and streaming business in addition to business development and partnerships with major telecommunication players in the region. Her previous position saw her act as Vice President Head of YuppTV in the MENA region, where she played a vital role in launching YuppTV service and driving subscriber growth in the Middle East and North Africa. Last year, Zayat was awarded Woman Media Executive of the Year based on her success and achievement in launching and driving significant growth in the OTT business. Prior to YuppTV, Zayat worked at MOBY Group, where she spearheaded their corporate operations and launched their OTT platform in addition to new channels in challenging markets.
Sonia Lekhal brings over 20 years of marketing experience having worked for some of the fastest-growing consumer brands across the world. As Chief Marketing Officer, Lekhal is now responsible for OSN’s brand communication and marketing strategy and plays an educational and supporting role in the digital transformation of the overall business. A former Vice President, Corporate Communications at Emirates Airlines, Lekhal restructured the digital marketing strategy, helping to elevate the brand. Prior to her position at Emirates Airlines, Lekhal served as Regional Marketing Director at the largest e-commerce site in the MENA region, Souq.com – now an Amazon company, where she was responsible for driving the site’s monthly double-digit revenue growth through a 360-marketing approach.
Peter Riz has over 20 years of Television and OTT experience within the Middle East and Europe, with a focus in Digital Transformation. Riz takes the role of Chief Technology Officer, where he leads both the broadcasting and streaming technology strategy for OSN. Prior to this, Riz was Chief Technology Officer at Intigral in the Middle East, where he played a key role in driving the company’s digital transformation. He also spent over 12 years with HBO Europe where he was the Senior Vice President – Technology. Under his leadership at HBO he was responsible for transforming its OTT platform in Europe branded as HBO GO.
Patrick Tillieux, CEO of OSN said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Zahra Zayat, Sonia Lekhal and Peter Riz to OSN. They each bring a wealth of experience in leadership roles at some of the most well-known and respected companies in the world. Their trusted expertise, drive and passion will be invaluable as we continue to execute on our strategic priorities and strengthen our position as the leading entertainment network in the region. I look forward to their contributions to OSN.”
News of the recent appointments follows the unveiling of OSN’s new streaming service earlier this month. Featuring a fresh new brand identity and the largest entertainment offering ever, OSN brings an unrivalled selection of quality content though its channels via cable and satellite, and on-demand via its streaming app. OSN has secured exclusive rights for both its traditional pay TV channels and its new digital streaming platform, including partnerships with the biggest studios in the world such as Disney, HBO, Universal, Paramount, Viacom and MGM.
