Meet Steve Banfield, Demand Media’s fresh SVP and GM of Registrar Services

Banfield to lead eNom and Name.com.

A few days back Demand Media disclosed that it hired Steve Banfield to serve as SVP and GM of Registrar Services. Demand Media owns domain name reseller eNom and consumer registrar Name.com, both of which Banfield will help lead.

If his name doesn’t ring a bell, that’s since Banfield is fresh to the domain name industry. His experience with domain names is limited mostly to registering domain names here and there for projects.

Even though he has limited direct experience, he points out that there are links between domain names and what he has dedicated much of his career to: digital products.

“When you’re selling a domain, you’re selling a digital good,” he explained.

His experience with digital goods includes stints at a division of Paramount Pictures, Sony, RealNetworks, and Microsoft.

As Demand Media gets ready to spin out its domain name business, Banfield stated he saw opportunity.

“You have a great, growing business that’s poised for additional growth with fresh TLDs,” he stated. “You have a great growing business regarding to be spun out from a different entity.”

He stated he started adding these things up, along with a cultural fit, and decided to make the jump.

Given Demand Media’s role in the domain ecosystem, you can expect to see Banfield at industry conferences in the future.