Cobalt Digital Names Berend Blokzijl as Director of Sales for EMEA, Adds Office in Beijing

Cobalt Digital, designer and manufacturer of edge devices for live video production and master control and a founding partner of openGear, has named its Berend Blokzijl as Director of Sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), effective as of February 1. The announcement was made by Suzana Brady, SVP of Worldwide Sales and Marketing, who noted that Blokzijl’s appointment aligns with Cobalt’s global growth initiative having expanded the company in January by adding a representative office in Beijing.

“We’re delighted to welcome Berend to the Cobalt team as we grow the company worldwide,” says Brady. “His vast experience and knowledge of the industry and our technology as it relates to the EMEA region is a huge asset to the company and a tremendous benefit to our customers. We look forward to Berend’s input and contributions as our platform evolves to accommodate technological advances in diverse geographical areas and market segments.”

Blokzijl who will report to Brady, will be responsible for managing Cobalt’s sales operation and expanding the company’s presence in the EMEA regions. He joins Bob Nicholas, Cobalt’s VP of Sales for Asia Pacific and Southeast Asia, on the international front as Nicholas leverages his deep knowledge of APAC to focus on the demands of the countries that comprise that rapidly growing market.

Based in The Netherlands, Blokzijl has over 25 years’ experience working in the broadcast and satellite industries, as well as IT and telecoms, winning large accounts and building sales channels across EMEA and APAC. Prior to joining Cobalt, he held the position of Senior Sales Manager at BFE Studio und Medien Systeme GmbH where he was responsible for building a global partner network. Previously he served as Regional Director EMEA South at International Datacasting Corporation (IDC), a Canadian manufacturer of satellite up-link equipment and receivers.

“I’m excited to join the Cobalt team and to accelerate growth across EMEA,” explains Blokzijl. “Cobalt is a well-respected organization with high-quality solutions, and I look forward to working closely with the team to design and implement a sales strategy that will expand our customer base, increase market share and continue to create strong relationships.”

Blokzijl, a veteran officer of the Dutch Merchant Navy, has an engineering degree in Navigation and holds certificates in Business Administration from the Rotterdam Polytechnic. His multilingual talents include fluent English, native Dutch, conversational German as well as basic French and Spanish. He can be reached by email at [email protected], by telephone at +31 6 1311 7886 and on SKYPE at berend.blokzijl1.