Riedel appoints Craig Thompson to lead new customer success department

The new customer success department at Riedel is taking its first steps with the appointment of Craig Thompson as executive director.

In his new role, Thompson will oversee the operations of the department, which was created to optimise the customer experience – from initial demonstration and system design, to training, delivery and after-sales support – expand the company’s service portfolio and increase associated revenue streams.

Rik Hoerée, CEO of the Riedel product division, elaborates on the newly created department and welcomes Thompson: “We’re realizing our vision of customer-centric operations, while preparing a solid foundation to support a product portfolio of hardware and software products. With an impressive record of improving customer satisfaction, exceeding sales targets, and managing world-class services teams, Craig is a natural fit to lead our Customer Success team, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to Riedel”.

Two decades of experience

Thompson has more than 20 years of management experience in broadcast. He comes to Riedel from Grass Valley, where he served as vice president of customer success and business transformation. Prior to being acquired by Grass Valley, he served as head of global services at Snell Advanced Media (SAM) and was global head of commercial sales at both SAM and Quantel.

Previously, Thompson was at Ericsson Television (formerly Tandberg Television) for almost 18 years. He joined the company in 1997, moving to Sydney to head up its Australasian services department. He ended his tenure with the company as director of operations and services, EMEA. In this role, he was responsible for the delivery, support and sales growth of the company’s media services and software solutions in the region.

Thompson considers this an “exciting” time to join Riedel given his commitment to the new customer success department. “Riedel already offers a robust line-up of services — whether it’s consulting, technical support, or training courses — and I’m looking forward to expanding our portfolio even further to ensure a seamless customer experience,” he comments.