Francis Tellier is set to retire as chief executive of HBS, the host broadcast company he founded almost two decades ago, it was announced today (Monday).
Effective from November 1, Dan Miodownik, current chief content officer and deputy chief executive, will take over officially as chief executive of the subsidiary of the Infront agency. Luc-Antoine Charial will be chief operating officer.
Tellier will continue to serve as a special advisor to HBS/Infront and non-executive president of International Games Broadcast Services, the production joint venture with the IMG agency.
Tellier founded HBS in 1999 as the exclusive host broadcaster for the 2002 Fifa World Cup, a contract that has been extended through to the 2022 edition of the national-team football tournament in Qatar.
Philippe Blatter, president and chief executive of Infront, said: “Francis is a true trailblazer in host broadcast production, continuously pushing the boundaries of innovation, and always meeting the high demands of our clients. Regardless of event size, format, location or challenge, Francis was always the consummate professional – calm, composed and confident, while ensuring the broadcast success of the biggest sports shows on earth.”
Miodownik joined HBS in 2004 and has most recently held the position of chief content officer. Charial has been with the company since 2000, overseeing all finance, human resources, IT and legal operations as chief financial officer.
Miodownik said: “Francis built up an incredible team, infrastructure and reputation for HBS. It is because of him that HBS is one of the most innovative, high quality and reliable host broadcasting specialists. He has set the bar high and it is a great honour to take over leadership of the HBS team.”