­­Black Dragon Capital Names Prominent Technology Executive and Transformational Leader Rashid Desai as Board Director and Board Advisor to Multiple Portfolio Companies

MIAMI, Feb. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Dragon Capital℠ ("BDC", "Black Dragon℠"), a high-performing private equity firm founded and led by a diverse manager and team who have a track record of outstanding operating and investment success in growth sectors disrupted by digitization, today announces the appointment of Rashid Desai, a recognized technology industry expert to the Advisory Board of Black Dragon℠ portfolio company Grass Valley and Board of Directors of Black Dragon℠ portfolio company, Ladonware.  He joins a group of recognized professionals who have had proven operational and investment success.   

Rashid Desai
Board of Directors, Ladonware
Board of Advisors, Grass Valley

Rashid Desai has extensive experience developing commercial technology products and solutions, including delivering and strengthening technology infrastructure, technology cloud architecture, and cloud engineering. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Avid Technology, Managing Director and Chief Information and Technology Officer at Barclaycard, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Open Solutions and Senior Vice President at Equifax. At Open Solutions, he was the primary architect of the award-winning open API banking suite, DNA. Desai was also part of the digital transformation of Barclaycard and helped develop the cloud-based operating system, Avid Everywhere, and drove the transition to the cloud for Avid. He worked with Hernandez at both Open Solutions and Avid Technology. 

"Rashid Desai has a remarkable history of success in the Media and Fintech industries. After working with him at Open Solutions, where he was the primary architect of the award-winning API banking suite called DNA, it was clear to me that he was one of the best in his field. He also was central to the transformation of Avid, where he led the launch of Avid Everywhere and the entire transition to a SaaS based subscription company. His impressive knowledge of the dynamic industries of media and fintech will no doubt be valuable moving forward. We are excited to have him join our team, and we look forward to seeing him contribute to the team's success," said Louis Hernandez Jr., Founder, CEO of Black Dragon Capital℠, Executive Chair of Grass Valley, and Chairman of Ladonware. 

At Ladon, Desai will join a recognized and respected group of industry leaders guiding Ladon's strategy to create the next generation of cloud native technology solving the industry's most difficult issues, which is in production in over 15 countries.  At Grass Valley, he'll help guide the company's market leading cloud native operating system, and newly developed cloud applications combined with some the most recognized digitally connected products in the industry collectively known as Grass Valley Media Universe through their next phase of growth and development.

"The Media technology and Financial technology industries are undergoing fundamental shifts that I've been a part of for decades. I am very excited to bring my experience to the teams at Grass Valley and Ladon, two industries I know well. Both Companies are at an exciting phase in their development and I'm very happy to be working with Louis on these companies to transform both the companies and the industries, as we've done in the past," said Rashid Desai, Grass Valley Board Advisor and Ladonware Board of Directors. 

Contact info:
Gina Rogoto
Black Dragon Capital℠, LLC
[email protected]
+1 (305) 539-9415

About Black Dragon Capital℠

Black Dragon Capital℠ ("BDC") is a high-performing private equity firm founded and led by a diverse manager and team who have a track-record of outstanding operating and investment success. They make control investments in mid-market technology companies in growth sectors disrupted by digitization. They work closely with entrepreneurs to build market leading companies using their proprietary Black Dragon Toolkit℠. They have an enterprise value of current assets under management of approximately $900M USD.

Learn more at www.blackdragoncap.com.

About Grass Valley

Grass Valley's end-to-end ecosystem of reliable, open standards-based solutions helps content creators, broadcasters, and media organizations to produce brilliant content and build successful media businesses. We are the trusted partner to many of the biggest and most creative names in the media and entertainment business, enabling the production of rich, high-quality content that brings the viewer closer to the action; engages them with the story and connects them with each other. Headquartered in Montreal, Grass Valley has been engaged in the media technology business for 60 years and is owned by Black Dragon Capital.

Learn more at www.grassvalley.com.

About Ladonware

Ladonware (Ladon) is a next generation cloud native suite of applications led by industry veterans who have built some of the most recognized brands in financial technology. The company uses cloud-based applications to connect consumers, their devices, and financial institutions seamlessly and securely by providing the most advanced cloud based as a service solution. They build trust-based relationships through high quality service, highly functional and permanently evolving software, fair and friendly contracts, and affordable pricing. They have over 160 financial institutions clients in 15 different countries throughout United Status and the Americas.

Learn more at www.ladonware.com.

SOURCE Black Dragon Capital