Handmark Names Senior Vice President for Worldwide Business Development
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KANSAS CITY, MO (31 July 2006) - Reflecting its growing traction as a leader in the mobile content industry, Kansas City based Handmark, Inc. today announced the expansion of its executive management team with the appointment of Christopher Pitzak as Senior Vice President for worldwide business development. This newly created position will help drive the company's global growth.
Pitzak will be responsible for managing the company's global focus on mobile operator and handset manufacturer relationships, as well as sales through the company's retail and off-portal website business. The position reports to Handmark CEO August Grasis III. The appointment adds to the already impressive bench strength of the Handmark management team, and follows the recent appointment of Christopher Barnett to the position of Vice President of Wireless Sales.
"Christopher Pitzak's expertise and proven track record of driving mobile content adoption through international channels will be an important strategic asset as we expand Handmark leadership to international markets." said Grasis III.
Previously, Pitzak was the CEO and founder of Downplay, Inc. He was Vice President of International Business Development for the Finnish based Saunalahti Group Oyi one of the first companies to develop and distribute content for mobile phones serving markets in 21 countries. In 2002 Pitzak founded Jippii USA Inc. and was one of the first to launch services through the AT&T mMode service. Christopher served for several years on the CTIA's Wireless Internet Caucus Leadership Council focusing on Digital Rights Management (DRM). Most recently Christopher was the CEO of Dyad Security Corp, a boutique IT security firm specializing in penetration analysis and education, which he refocused and led to exit selling to the European market leader.
A former professional athlete, Christopher is an NCAA National Champion and U.S. Olympic Festival Gold Medalist. He holds a B.S. from Brigham Young University and is currently completing his M.B.A. from The Wharton School, at the University of Pennsylvania.
About Handmark
Handmark is a global leader in the development and distribution of mobile content solutions. The company's flagship Pocket Express(TM) wireless service bundle offers consumer-friendly access to news, reference and infotainment content on mobile phones as well as BlackBerry, Palm Treo, Motorola Q and other Windows Mobile wireless handhelds. The company also holds key mobile content distribution patents including Java-based push technology for wireless devices; has technology and distribution relationships with CNN International, The Associated Press, Oxford University Press, Hasbro, MobiTV, TV Guide, JAMDAT Mobile and Zagat Survey as well as all major U.S. Mobile Operators; and dominates the market for mobile software sold through retail channels. Handmark has R&D facilities in Gothenburg, Sweden; Kansas City, Missouri; and Dallas, Texas, with sales offices in Kansas City, San Francisco, Stockholm, and London. For more information, visit www.handmark.com.
Handmark is a registered trademark, and Pocket Express, tools & toys for a mobile generation, the Handmark logo, and associated trade dress are trademarks of Handmark, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and/or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
For more information, press only:
Andrew Pray, Waggener Edstrom,
(415)-547-7022,
andrewp@waggeneredstrom.com
Eric Haar
Editorial and Media Relations Manager
Handmark, Inc.
Tools & Toys for a Mobile Generation
Visit us online at www.handmark.com
