Executive Team
Wayne Purboo
President, CEO and Co-Founder
As President, CEO and Co-founder of QuickPlay Media, Wayne Purboo drives the development, management and execution of QuickPlay’s innovative strategy. His experience working with many of the world’s most successful telecommunications companies is dynamically impacting worldwide sales, which is also within his purview.
Prior to founding QuickPlay, Wayne was Chief Technology Officer for Solect Technology Group. When Solect was acquired by Amdocs, Wayne assumed the visionary role of Vice-President of Strategy. In this capacity he launched and was Editor-in-Chief of ABR, a quarterly research magazine focused on the future of Telecom with a worldwide circulation to thousands of industry professionals.
Wayne is on the Advisory Board of Virgin Unite, which is developing new approaches to social and environmental issues. He is also active on the boards of Mashup Arts; the Consortium of New Media, Creative and Entertainment R&D; and the Urban Alliance on Race Relations. He has been recognized as a Sick Kids Leader by Sick Children’s Hospital and as one of “Canada’s Top 40 Under 40” by the Caldwell Partners. Wayne holds a Bachelor of Computer Sciences degree from McMaster University.
Samir Ahuja
VP, Engineering and Product Solutions
Samir Ahuja is a seasoned entrepreneur, leader and technologist, and vital member of QuickPlay’s executive. As Vice-President of Engineering, Samir drives Research & Development including: Product & Solution Management, Content Operations, Systems Engineering, and the Network Operations Center (NOC).
As co-founder, CTO and COO for Optura, a successful software company, Samir gained extensive experience developing and executing mission critical programs. His company was ultimately sold to OpenText, a leader in Content Management. OpenText’s management recognized Samir’s distinct abilities and experience, and invited him to join their team. As General Manager, Samir and his division provided strategic Enterprise Software solutions to key customers.
Samir earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Engineering from the University of Toronto.
Bruce Bishop
VP, Finance
Bruce Bishop brings over 25 years of progressive corporate finance and accounting experience to his position as Vice-President of Finance. He is responsible for all accounting, finance, human resource, and administrative functions at QuickPlay.
Prior to joining our executive team, Bruce was Chief Financial Officer for Changepoint, a successful software company, where he helped grow the company’s revenues from US$2 million to US$20 million during his seven year tenure with the company. Changepoint was later sold to Compuware for US$100 million, a testament to their effective stewardship of the company.
Bruce is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and also holds an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.
John Coady
COO
John Coady brings extensive management and finance experience to his position as Chief Operating Officer. As QuickPlay’s COO, he is responsible for overseeing day to day operations and managing all investment and acquisition activities.
Prior to joining our executive team, John served as Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of Algorithmics Inc. during which time Algorithmics was sold to Fitch Ratings for $175 million. John has also had senior partner roles with Royal Bank Capital Partners, where he worked with investment companies in Royal Bank’s Technology Fund, in order to identify private investments in promising advanced technology companies.
From 1998 to 2000, John served as Chief Financial Officer of Solect Technology Group which was sold to Amdocs for $1.2 Billion. Prior to this he served as Director of Finance for Architel Systems/Accugraph from and also was the Director, Business Affairs for IMAX Corporation.
John is a Chartered Accountant (1986) and earned his Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction at McGill University.
Mark Hyland
VP, Sales and Marketing
As Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Mark Hyland is responsible for worldwide sales and for product, communications and partner marketing programs.
Mark is a successful entrepreneur with deep expertise in the media industry. Combining his keen interest in emerging technologies with his formal background in journalism, Mark co-founded Shift Magazine, which quickly became a popular media and entertainment industry resource. Later, as Director of Business Development and New Media at CBC, Mark initiated the company's online media extension which culminated in CBC.ca becoming the top news site in Canada. Transitioning to the role of Director of Broadband and Digital Services at CBC, Mark fully embraced the emerging technologies of high-definition television and video-on-demand. It was this passion for high-quality, accessible entertainment that attracted him to QuickPlay.
Mark has frequently spoken at influential mobile entertainment industry events, including CTIA Wireless & Entertainment, Digital Hollywood and Mobile Content Strategies. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from McGill University in Montreal, a bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of King's College in Halifax and a master's degree in Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.