VII Photo announces management changes
Following its recent AGM in New York the VII Photo agency has announced a number of board changes and the appointment of Stephen Mayes as its new managing director working out of VII’s Los Angeles offices.
Stephen Mayes, most recently chief operating officer for the Americas for Image Source, replaces Frank Evers as VII’s managing director. The move comes as little surprise as Evers had announced last year that he intended to step down from the role at VII during 2008 to work on new media start-ups.
Speaking about his appointment Mayes told CPN: “This is a fantastic opportunity to work with the world’s best photojournalists at a time of exhilarating change when the need to represent the world with impact and integrity has never been greater.”
Mayes has worked in photography, art and journalism for 25 years, and previously as archive director at Art+Commerce (New York), director of the Network Photographers agency, SVP of Content for Getty Images, CEO of Amana America (which owned Photonica), and creative director of eyestorm.com. He also maintains an annual assignment as secretary to the World Press Photo competition.
Stephen Mayes, right of picture, in April 2008 showing the World Press Photo exhibition to visitors at the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam.
The board changes see VII co-founder Gary Knight stepping down as chair to hand over to the new board of directors. Knight explained: “We are delighted to welcome Stephen Mayes as managing director, working with a new board comprising photographers Marcus Bleasdale, Ron Haviv and James Nachtwey, with two fantastic external directors Neal Jackson and Richard Schoenberg. We want to thank Frank Evers for his contribution and service to VII over the years and we wish him well on his new endeavours.”
Frank Evers was recruited by VII Photo in 2005 to manage the agency's business operations and during his tenure as managing director he oversaw expansions including VII seminars, the VII Network, the expansion of the agency's Los Angeles office, and recently the opening of a new VII office and store in Brooklyn. He remains one of the co-directors of the New York Photo Festival and is married to the VII photographer Lauren Greenfield.
New external director Neal Jackson is the principal and founder of the media consulting firm Worldinsight Media and is a member of the Lightstalkers virtual photographic community. Fellow new VII director Richard Schoenberg is a serial entrepreneur who is currently CEO of MelroseMAC, an Apple Computer CVAR/Specialist in the Los Angeles area and is a founding member of the Los Angeles League of Photographers. He has published three books of his photographs.
VII Photo agency was originally established in September 2001 and was named after its seven founding members – photojournalists Alexandra Boulat, Ron Haviv, Gary Knight, Antonin Kractochvil, Christopher Morris, James Nachtwey and John Stanmeyer.
