GoPro Appoints Tony Bates as President And Member of the Board of Directors

SAN MATEO, Calif., June 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- GoPro, maker of one of the world's most versatile cameras and enabler of some of today's most engaging content, today announced that Tony Bates and Peter Gotcher have been appointed to GoPro's Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Gotcher has been appointed to GoPro's Audit Committee.

Mr. Bates has also been named President of GoPro, reporting directly to GoPro founder and CEO Nicholas Woodman.

"I'm fired up to have two seasoned technology veterans like Tony and Peter join our team. Their passion and experience will help us realize our vision for enabling people to self-capture and share engaging personal content," said Nicholas Woodman. "As President of GoPro, Tony will focus on our core business as well as scaling GoPro's fast-growing media operations."

"It's an honor to join the GoPro team," said Tony Bates. "GoPro represents everything that excites me in a company. Incredible products, compelling content, a world-renowned brand and above all, amazing people who make it happen. Working for a technology company that creates products that people love and that capture life's magical moments is a dream come true."

Mr. Bates most recently served as Executive Vice President of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) responsible for business development, strategy and evangelism. He joined Microsoft in 2011 with the acquisition of Skype, where he had served as CEO since 2010. An expert in internet technologies, he has more than 25 years of leadership experience at the intersection of communications and technology.

At Skype, Mr. Bates led an aggressive effort to increase its user base and extend services beyond recreational and video calling. At the time of acquisition, he had introduced premium phone and video services and grown the monthly Skype user base to 170 million connected users per month. Prior to Skype, Mr. Bates served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco, heading up the enterprise, commercial and small business divisions.  Additionally, he has served on the boards of YouTube and LoveFilm.    

"It's an exciting time to be joining GoPro." said Mr. Gotcher.  "The company has established a track record for developing cutting edge technology and understanding consumers.  The incredible content being created by their customers represents the next great chapter in GoPro's story."

Mr. Gotcher is an independent venture investor, Chairman of Dolby Laboratories, and serves on the board of Pandora. He brings to GoPro more than 25 years of experience in digital media production and distribution. 

In 1984 Mr. Gotcher co-founded Digidesign Inc., a leading manufacturer of digital audio workstations including ProTools.  After completing a successful initial public offering in 1993, Digidesign was acquired by Avid Technologies Inc. in 1995.  In 1997, he joined Institutional Venture Partners as a venture partner and in 1999, he was a founding venture partner in Redpoint Ventures, a leading Silicon Valley venture capital firm.  In 2000, Mr. Gotcher accepted a GRAMMY for Technical Achievement, honoring Digidesign's contributions to the recording industry.  Digidesign received an Oscar from the Motion Picture Academy in 2004 and in 2010, he was awarded the Philo Farnsworth Lifetime Achievement Emmy award.  Mr. Gotcher holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley.

About GoPro, Inc.

GoPro's versatile cameras and accessories enable people to self-capture immersive and engaging footage of themselves enjoying their favorite activities.  From extreme to mainstream, GoPro's HERO® line of wearable and gear-mountable capture devices are transforming the way consumers, professional athletes, and video production professionals capture, manage and share meaningful photo and video content.   Based in San Mateo, California, GoPro's products are sold in more than 25,000 stores in over 100 countries worldwide and direct via GoPro.com.  GoPro-branded content is shared and enjoyed by millions of people on popular media channels such YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and Instagram.  

GOPRO® and HERO® are trademarks or registered trademarks of GoPro Inc. in the United States and other countries.

SOURCE GoPro