Deluxe Entertainment Services Group has recruited Neil Ballantine to the role of managing director of the company’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Media Services division.

Ballantine previously spent over ten years in senior leadership positions at Blu-ray and DVD manufacturer Cinram, most recently as managing director of European operations.

In his new role he will be responsible for managing all of Deluxe’s Media Services operations in the EMEA region including content services, access services, digital distribution, restoration and SaaS (software as a service) offerings.

Ballantine replaces Chris Higgs, who was managing director of content management and access services provider ITFC which was acquired by Deluxe in 2010.  

Higgs took on the role of European MD of Deluxe Media in 2011, following the rebrand of half a dozen Deluxe businesses as part of the formation of a content-management group. He will work as a consultant to Deluxe until the end of the year.

Deluxe International president Amanda Cupples said: “Neil joins Deluxe at a very exciting time as we expand and transform our media services offering to ensure that we meet the demands and challenges of our customers and audiences who consume media 24/7.

“With his calibre of leadership and supply chain expertise, along with his understanding of the needs of the media and entertainment industry, I’m confident he’ll excel at driving the division forward.”