Technology, Information and Media
Active

Michael Novack

Interim CEO and board advisor for distress, restructuring and value creation available globally

About me

Across 30 years and more than 20 ventures, I have led businesses in Europe, America, and Asia through radical change and transformation. Some were growth-stage companies aiming to scale. Others were legacy operations in need of reinvention. A few were already on fire. Highlights include launching a global environmental tech venture in four countries and scaling it to a $100M valuation in less than two years, transforming a 65-year-old publisher into a data-driven media company, and launching Real Madrid’s global content business reaching 450M households. I have also led SaaS and AI startups from pre-revenue to post-Series A, and led digital strategy, restructuring, and execution projects for multinationals like EY, Viacom, Ericsson, and Sony. Before that, I was a journalist and war correspondent. That experience shaped how I lead: focused, calm under pressure, and clear on what matters. Today, I lead, advise and invest in ventures with ambition—projects where technological and creative vision intersect with effective execution. I work best with teams that care about building real value, and doing it with urgency, precision, and purpose. Let’s connect if you are scaling, fixing, or rethinking what comes next.

Jurisdiction

United States | United Kingdom | Spain

Notable employer

  • Senior Digital Transformation Advisor at EY Global
  • Managing Director for Media and Content at Real Madrid C.F.
  • Strategic Consulting Senior Manager- Media and Entertainment at Ericsson

Experience

Seniority LevelC-Suite
Years of Experience20+ years
Current StatusActive
Interim Operating Partner
2025 - 2025

Due diligence, strategic assessment and evaluation of business potential of a portfolio company.

Interim CEO
2024 - 2025

Transformation and restructuring of a retail operations and HR SaaS startup increasing revenues 30% and reducing costs 70% achieving break-even in 12 months.

Interim CEO
2021 - 2022

Transformation and restructuring of strategy, business model and operation of the leading Spanish car and motorcycle magazine publisher group into a data and e-commerce driven media-tech company, sold to a multinational communications group.

Interim Global COO
2019 - 2022

Launch of an environmental technology startup headquartered in the UK with subsidiaries in the US, UAE and Korea, providing its services to the US Government, Grosvenor Group, Nakheel Properties, Brookfield, Olshan Properties and Hyundai Corporation. Achieved $100m valuation in less than two years.

Senior Digital Transformation AdvisorNotable
2018 - 2018

Launch of the new EY global website. Project management of 30 international business unit stakeholders and content operations. Advice on definition and establishment of criteria and strategies to leverage digital channels improving brand perception, value proposition articulation, actionable commercial insights, and earned media.

Interim COO
2017 - 2017

Transformation and restructuring of an Artificial Intelligence/Natural Language Processing (SaaS) software platform startup joint venture with NTT Data designed to improve governance and business decisions. Roadmap to raise a 10M€ Series A.

Interim CEO
2014 - 2015

Launch of a digital newspaper startup managed by experienced journalists of leading Spanish and European media. Defined and executed operational, commercial, strategic and technological plans. Achieved 1M unique monthly users and an average time onsite of 14 minutes after a year, on track to breaking even after the second year.

Interim CEO
2013 - 2014

Transformation and restructuring of a video game development company acquired by an advertising group. Recovered from insolvency, salvaged ongoing projects, complied with client commitments, achieved positive cash-flow and redirected the company towards gamification marketing projects more aligned with the group’s target clients.

Senior Digital Marketing Advisor
2012 - 2013

Created, sold and integrated digital marketing campaigns based on gamification strategies to generate exploitable client data bases and consumer profiles.

Interim COO
2009 - 2011

Transformation and restructuring of an engineering outsourcing services company. Hired to modernize and refinance a 200 employee, 40-year-old organization. Executed due diligence, analysis, valuation, operational and financial restructuring, digital transformation, strategic repositioning and rebranding.

Senior Strategic Advisor
2009 - 2010

Advised the President and Board of the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN), largest holder of Educational Broadband Spectrum, covering 100 million people in the US and Puerto Rico. Defined the digital transformation plan of a traditional US national TV broadcast network into an interactive multimedia distribution company improving operational efficiencies and increasing advertising investment’s performance and return.

Chief Digital Officer - Vice President Multimedia
2007 - 2009

Digital transformation and strategic operating model redesign of the leading Hispanic newspaper group in the United States (340,000 dailies/1,000 employees) towards multi-platform, multi-channel distribution and e-commerce.

Managing Director for Media and ContentNotable
2004 - 2007

Created and executed the strategic and business model of Beckham's Real Madrid international broadcast, editorial and digital media project and launched two 24 hour television channels in English and Spanish distributed worldwide.

Strategic Consulting Senior Manager- Media and EntertainmentNotable
2000 - 2003

Created, sold and integrated strategic business models designed to catalyze the penetration of added value services based on market evolution, emerging trends, and technological convergence: Internet, broadband, wireless mobility, ecommerce, interactive television and radio. International partnership management and agreement negotiation. Solutions developed on social networks, communities, and behavioral profiling.

Educations

Diploma of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Business StrategyMIT Sloan School of Management
2024 - 2024
Masters of Executive MBA - Masters of Business Administration and ManagementIE Business School
2003 - 2004
Masters of MBA - Masters of Business Administration - Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR -ESG)Universitat de Barcelona
2002 - 2003
Degree of Psychology and Philosophy (Double Major)New York University
1986 - 1989

Skills

Core skills10
Languages4

Skills

Operating model redesign
Turnaround management
Business transformation
Distress
Restructuring
Value creation
Global Business Development
AI business strategy
Maximizing valuation
Crisis management

Languages

English (British)
English
French
Spanish

Services