RealNetworks Bolsters Executive Team to Support Company Momentum

SEATTLE, June 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- RealNetworks, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK), a leader in digital media software and services, today announced the appointments of Ben Rotholtz as vice president of marketing, Elaine Eng as vice president of finance, John McQueen as vice president of business development, and Louis Grosskopf as vice president and general manager of messaging.

The newly expanded executive leadership directly reflects RealNetworks' continued momentum and growth in four key initiatives: Kontxt™, RealMedia® HD, computer vision, and mobile game subscriptions. Following a successful first quarter of accelerating customer interest, these initiatives are expected to drive future revenue growth. The new executives are focused on supporting the Company's key initiatives, fostering increased demand from new and existing customers.

"We are thrilled to welcome Ben, John and Louis to the RealNetworks management team, and to congratulate Elaine on her promotion," said Rob Glaser, chairman and CEO of RealNetworks. "Each of them has an accomplished track record of driving success. I'm excited that they will all be playing leadership roles as we create the next generation of great products and businesses at RealNetworks."

Rotholtz, a former RealNetworks employee, has extensive experience in consumer and enterprise software. During his career, he has launched and sustained over 100 commercial products and services across more than 20 business units and industry verticals. In his new role, he will concentrate on product marketing, corporate positioning, and the RealNetworks® brand. In addition to working at RealNetworks, Rotholtz previously held leadership positions at Syntonic, Electronic Arts, PopCap Games, Adobe Systems, and Aldus Corporation.

"I'm excited by the opportunity to rejoin RealNetworks, and to work closely with a talented team that is successfully innovating on the technologies of tomorrow," said Rotholtz. "RealNetworks has a formidable legacy of changing the world, and I look forward to being part of its success."

Eng is an established, innovative leader with deep worldwide tax knowledge and extensive proficiency in financial management. Her experience includes tax planning, compliance, audit defense, technical research, and mergers and acquisitions across a variety of industries, including technology, telecommunications, software, and financial services. In her new role, she will spearhead the Company's global tax strategy and manage all financial planning and analysis functions. Prior to joining RealNetworks, she spent eight years at Deloitte Tax, LLP, and was an adjunct lecturer at the University of Washington. 

"RealNetworks' growth initiatives make this a compelling time for the Company," said Eng. "I am honored to be part of a team that is focused on capturing and expanding the revenue opportunities ahead of us."

McQueen, a former RealNetworks employee, has managed multiple international subsidiaries, technology companies and distribution businesses. He will focus on growing RealNetworks' industry presence with the Company's next-generation machine learning and AI-based products. Prior to rejoining RealNetworks, McQueen served as worldwide vice president at Neustar, concentrating on IOT security, and was senior director at Microsoft, managing the Kinect for Windows business team, where he gained significant experience in machine learning and computer vision.

"RealNetworks is an industry leader, delivering high-quality products and services to organizations across the globe," said McQueen. "With the advent of RealNetworks' new AI and machine learning-based products, this is the perfect time to return and advance the Company's initiatives."

Grosskopf is a highly experienced technology leader with deep industry expertise. He will focus on growing Kontxt, RealNetworks' next-generation mobile messaging platform that enables network operators to deliver a consistently better messaging experience for their subscribers. He was most recently general manager at SunGard and before that, he led multiple strategic business units at CA Technologies.

"With the rapid evolution in A2P messaging the mobile industry is increasingly challenged by complex business opportunities, and this is an incredibly exciting time to join the Company," said Grosskopf. "Kontxt, RealNetworks' new messaging platform has incorporated AI and machine learning to streamline the messaging experience for subscribers and help the mobile industry capture greenfield opportunities."

This news follows partnership momentum from earlier this year. Most recently, RealNetworks announced that it has entered into the next phase of its strategic partnership with China International Broadcasting Network (CIBN) OTT TV. Additionally, the company announced an agreement to license RealMedia HD for porting and optimization to Amlogic, a global leader in fabless system-on-a-chip (SoC) technologies.

To learn more about recent announcements, visit RealNetworks' corporate website here.

About RealNetworks
RealNetworks creates innovative applications and services that make it easy to connect with and enjoy digital media. RealNetworks invented the streaming media category and continues to connect consumers with their digital media both directly and through partners, aiming to support every network, device, media type and social network. Find RealNetworks' corporate information at www.realnetworks.com.

RealNetworks and the company's respective logos are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of RealNetworks, Inc. Other products and company names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective owners.

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SOURCE RealNetworks, Inc.