iWorld
Bitmovin names Ian Baglow as co-chief executive officer
Baglow to run daily operations as Stefan Lederer turns to strategy and technology
VIENNA: Video-streaming specialist Bitmovin has split the top job, elevating Ian Baglow to co-chief executive alongside co-founder Stefan Lederer in a leadership rejig aimed at accelerating growth and tightening customer and partner ties.
Under the new structure, Baglow will steer day-to-day operations and commercial execution, while Lederer will focus on long-range strategy, product direction and market development. The move formalises a division of labour already taking shape inside the company as it scales globally.
Baglow joined Bitmovin in 2021 as chief revenue officer, tasked with driving customer retention and new client wins. His remit widened in 2024 when he became president and chief revenue and operations officer, putting him at the centre of sales and operational strategy. Before Bitmovin, he held senior roles at BAE Systems and SilverSky, building a track record in scaling businesses, entering new markets and launching products.
“I’m honored to be appointed as co-chief executive, where I will of course continue to work closely with Stefan who I have great admiration and respect for,” says Baglow. “This shared leadership role will allow us to use our highly complementary skills and strengths to take Bitmovin to new levels, and I look forward to solidifying Bitmovin’s market position and contributing to its continued growth.”
Lederer casts the appointment as a natural next step in Bitmovin’s evolution. “Ian has played a key role in driving company growth in recent years, and I believe as co-chief executive, he will be integral to Bitmovin’s sustainable expansion and success,” he says. With Baglow handling operations and partnerships, Lederer plans to double down on “the next generation of our technology, as well as the strategic side of the business”.
Founded in Austria, Bitmovin has positioned itself as a core technology supplier to the streaming economy. It built what it describes as the world’s first commercial adaptive streaming player and launched a software-defined encoding service that runs across cloud platforms. Its cloud-native stack spans encoding, playback and analytics, with a pitch centred on scalability, device reach and ease of integration.
The group counts more than 400 customers worldwide, including DAZN, Fox, MBC Group, Astro, BBC and Warner Brothers Discovery. Headquartered in Denver and Klagenfurt, it also operates out of Vienna, London and Berlin.
As streaming matures into a fiercely competitive infrastructure business, Bitmovin’s dual-chief model signals a company intent on pairing technical ambition with commercial muscle. In a market where performance, scale and reliability decide winners, sharper leadership may prove as critical as sharper code.
Gaming
Bluestone FY26 revenue rises to Rs 2,436 crore, turns profitable
Q4 profit at Rs 31 crore, full-year profit at Rs 13 crore vs loss last year.
MUMBAI: From sparkle to numbers, Bluestone seems to be polishing more than just jewellery this year. Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle Limited reported a sharp turnaround in FY26, with revenue from operations rising to Rs 2,436 crore (Rs 24,364 million), up from Rs 1,770 crore (Rs 17,700 million) in FY25. The company posted a full-year profit of Rs 13 crore (Rs 131.79 million), a significant recovery from a loss of Rs 222 crore (Rs 2,218 million) a year ago.
Total income for the year stood at Rs 2,486 crore (Rs 24,860 million), compared to Rs 1,830 crore (Rs 18,300 million) in the previous year, reflecting both topline growth and improved operational momentum.
The March quarter, however, told a more nuanced story. Revenue from operations came in at Rs 681 crore (Rs 6,814 million), down from Rs 748 crore (Rs 7,486 million) in the year-ago period, though higher than Rs 461 crore (Rs 4,613 million) in the preceding December quarter. Net profit for Q4 stood at Rs 31 crore (Rs 311.81 million), compared to Rs 68 crore (Rs 688 million) a year earlier, but a clear reversal from a loss of Rs 51 crore (Rs 512 million) in Q3.
Margins were shaped by higher input costs, with raw material consumption rising to Rs 2,204 crore (Rs 22,043 million) for the full year, alongside employee benefit expenses of Rs 282 crore (Rs 2,824 million) and finance costs of Rs 210 crore (Rs 2,104 million). Other expenses came in at Rs 371 crore (Rs 3,715 million), slightly lower than Rs 393 crore (Rs 3,938 million) in FY25.
On the balance sheet front, total assets expanded to Rs 4,961 crore (Rs 49,610 million) as of March 31, 2026, from Rs 3,532 crore (Rs 35,322 million) a year earlier, driven largely by a surge in inventories to Rs 2,672 crore (Rs 26,718 million). Equity also strengthened to Rs 1,803 crore (Rs 18,030 million), nearly doubling from Rs 911 crore (Rs 9,107 million).
Cash flows reflected the cost of growth. Net cash used in operating activities stood at Rs 199 crore (Rs 1,990 million), while investing activities saw an outflow of Rs 239 crore (Rs 2,392 million). Financing activities, however, generated Rs 497 crore (Rs 4,971 million), helping the company end the year with cash and cash equivalents of Rs 108 crore (Rs 1,075 million), up from Rs 49 crore (Rs 487 million).
Earnings per share for FY26 came in at Rs 1.10, a sharp improvement from a negative Rs 79.74 in FY25, underlining the shift from losses to profitability.
With revenue scaling up, costs still glittering on the higher side, and profitability finally back in the black, BlueStone’s FY26 performance suggests a business mid-transition less about shine alone, and more about sustaining it.
