S&P Global Market Intelligence presents a weekly rundown of executive changes in the U.S. media and communications industries.
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* William Ferriolo resigned as executive vice president and COO of AutoWeb Inc., effective March 1. Ferriolo was promoted to COO of the company in December 2016. The company did not disclose the reason behind Ferriolo's departure.
* Alliance MMA Inc. tapped Ira Rainess as president of the company, effective immediately. Rainess has been heading the Sports & Entertainment Law practice at Silverman Thompson Slutkin & White for the past 13 years, the company said Feb. 15.
Media industry moves
* Roland Caputo will serve as interim CFO of New York Times Co. following the retirement of James Follo on Feb. 28. Caputo, the company's executive vice president of print products and services group since March 2013, will be the company's principal financial officer until the company finds a permanent CFO, according to a Feb. 15 SEC filing.
* Blucora Inc. named Davinder Athwal CFO of the company. Athwal succeeded Eric Emans who has been serving in a consulting role with Blucora since stepping down as CFO in late 2017, the company said Feb. 15. Emans will remain in his current consulting role through May 31 to assist with the transition. Previously, Athwal was vice president and CFO of UGI International, a unit of UGI Corp.
Communications industry moves
* Michael Powell, president and CEO of NCTA - The Internet & Television Association, received a three-year contract extension, according to a Feb. 21 statement. Powell, who joined the NCTA in 2011, previously was chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. NCTA – The Internet & Television Association is a group that represents U.S. broadband and pay television industries.
* In an effort to better understand how law enforcement can fight criminal cyber activity, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Feb. 20 ordered the creation of a cyber-digital task force at the U.S. Department of Justice. The task force will canvass how the department is currently combating global cyberthreats, and will also identify how federal law enforcement can more effectively confront these threats and operate in this evolving area. The task force will be chaired by a senior department official appointed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. It will consist of representatives from the department's criminal division; the national security division; the U.S. Attorney's office community; the office of legal policy; the office of privacy and civil liberties; the office of the chief information officer; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the U.S. Marshals Service. Rosenstein can also invite representatives from other agencies and establish subcommittees.
* Vito Culmone, CFO of Shaw Communications Inc., will leave the company, effective May 4. The company has tapped Trevor English to the position of executive vice president, chief financial & corporate development officer, according to a Feb. 15 news release. The move is part of the company's Total Business Transformation initiative and consolidates a number of functions under English's leadership. English previously was executive vice president, chief strategy and business development officer for Shaw.