LOS ANGELES--Vince Roberts, executive vice president, Global Operations and Chief Technology Officer for Disney/ABC Television Group has announced that he will retire from the company in January 2016, after 33 years with the company. Roberts, who joined Disney Channel prior to its launch in 1983 as a staff engineer, has led DATG’s operational and technological strategies and solutions for its vast portfolio of media and broadcast businesses.
“Vince is part of the DNA of Disney/ABC, and he will be greatly missed when he departs next year,” said Ben Sherwood, co-chairman, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney/ABC Television Group. “We are all thankful for his insights and his contributions to our success, and we thank him for everything he has done to build Disney/ABC and position it for a successful future.”
“To say I have been incredibly lucky to have been a part of DATG since the birth of Disney Channel would be an understatement,” said Roberts. “I’ve had the privilege to work alongside dozens of great leaders and with hundreds of incredibly talented and dedicated people from each of whom I learned so much. Together we have accomplished amazing feats that I would have never dreamed possible when I first arrived at Disney in the 1983.”
Roberts was promoted to his current role of executive vice president, Global Operations and Chief Technology Officer, in October 2010. Prior to joining Disney, he spent several years in videodisc R&D and manufacturing with MCA and JVC/EMI/GE. While at MCA, he was awarded a patent for developing a specialized quality control process device. During his time at Color Systems Technology as senior vice president of Production, the company was awarded an Emmy for technical achievement for the video coloring process.
Roberts co-chaired the FCC's Video Programming Accessibility Committee (VPAAC) on Internet Closed Captioning; was Chairman of the Innovation Advisory Board for Imagine Communications. In 2014, he was awarded the Broadcasting & Cable Technology Leadership Award. Additionally, he served as Chairman of the Executive Board of the Entertainment Technology Center at University of Southern California (ETC @ USC), and was recent recipient of their Bob Lambert Technology Leadership Award, honoring individuals who not only serve and guide their own companies but share their knowledge, experience and leadership for the betterment of the television industry.
He is a Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) Fellow, a Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Society of Cable Television Engineers (SCTE) and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He also serves as a Member of the Board of Directors of the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA). He has nine domestic and international patents pending; two have been granted.
