Philippe Boutaud is stepping down as general manager of DirecTV Brazil on March 17 to take over as CEO of Santher, a Brazilian-owned maker of paper goods. In a sense he?s returning home: Before moving to the pay-TV industry Mr Boutaud enjoyed a long career in the consumer goods industry, where for many years he headed Johnson & Johnson?s Brazilian subsidiary.
Milton Torres, Executive VP of DirecTV Latin America, will hold the fort until a new general manager for Brazil is appointed. In an interview with PAY-TV News, Milton Torres said Mr Boutaud will be sorely missed but his departure won?t entail significant changes in overall management since the rest of the top tier will stay on as will key members of staff.
For Philippe Boutaud, the change of command won?t make a big difference as Milton Torres has always been close to the Brazilian operation. He said he?s resigning as a director of ABTA but will probably be replaced by another representative of DirecTV.
Negotiations
Milton Torres, about to take over as interim general manager of DirecTV Brazil, declined to comment on the negotiations of new contracts with programmers and suppliers other than to say they?re ?proceeding satisfactorily?. When the negotiations began Mr Torres said they would take longer if progress was made. No official deadline has been set for talks to reach a conclusion one way or another.
Carriers
