Cox Promotes Steve Necessary

Cox has promoted company vet Steve Necessary to executive vice president of product development and management, a role that spans the organization's residential and commercial businesses.

Necessary, previously VP of video product development and management, reports to Cox president Pat Esser. Necessary has been leading the broader on an interim role for the past several months, said Cox, which recently signed a national deal to license Comcast’s X1 platform for a next-gen version of Cox’s Contour multiscreen video product.

“Steve has done a tremendous job leading the product team on an interim basis, driving the rapid expansion of residential Gigabit Internet, transition to all digital video service and the recent launch of the new Contour TV,” Esser said in a statement. “He and the product organization will continue to push for more rapid development cycles to deliver more choice and capabilities to help our customers connect to the things they care about most.”

Necessary joined Cox in January 2005, and has previously held exec slots at Concurrent Computer Corporation, at Scientific-Atlanta (now part of Cisco Systems), and PowerTV, once a video software subsidiary of S-A. 

He is also a member of Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) and is on the board of directors for InDemand. Necessary is also an emeritus member of the board of the Atlanta Ballet and Christians in Cable and is active in Mount Pisgah United Methodist Church.

He received a bachelor's degree in engineering economic systems from the Georgia Institute of Technology and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School.