10 minute read
P o AV atc ist
INDUSTRY INFLUENCERS
WATCH LIST 2022
For Installation's second Pro AV Watch List – a natural evolution of 2020's Pro AV Power 20, and following on from last year's inaugural round-up – we have brought together those who we feel are the biggest influencers in AV at the current time: the ones to watch in 2022 and beyond. Over the next six pages we celebrate 25 of these key influencers, in the AV industry's equivalent of the Grammys
BOB BOSTER
President Clear-Com
Manufacturer-side sales and management professional serving broadcast, live performance and other mission-critical communications customers. Strong interest in innovative solutions involving audio and two-way communication. "Bob is a creative thinker and makes any conversation both more interesting and more productive", enthuses one industry professional on Bob's LinkedIn page. "He has an ability to look beyond the situation at hand and address client needs in ways that exceed what most people are capable of. He listens well and provides insightful response while being an altogether enjoyable person."
CHARMAINE TORRUELLA
Business development manager
QSC
Accomplished, strategic, and highly analytical professional accustomed to providing "exceptional service" to customers as well as going above and beyond to achieve high-impact results.
BEKY CANN
Director of global PR Peerless-AV EMEA
Cann has been instrumental in the success of Peerless-AV brand awareness and growth within Europe over the last eight years. Her success led her to be promoted to director of global PR in 2021, and she is passionate in manifesting the vision of diversity within Peerless-AV, taking the company's inclusion initiatives up a notch.
Cann was nominated to the AVIXA Womens UK Council where she is a committee member supporting and empowering women who work in the technology and AV industry, and creates an environment that appeals not only to the current, but also the next generation of women leaders in technology. Hugely respected leader with 25+ years as an AV technology provider. Goals include helping others become the best at what they do. Lives by the saying “each one teach one”.
ERIC LI
CEO
SiliconCore Technology
Eric Li's determination and persistence in developing LED technology that broadens the capabilities of large-scale displays has resulted in multiple industry-first innovations and is the driving force behind widespread industry innovation in the fine pixel pitch dvLED industry.
Li believes that dvLED display technology can be used almost everywhere, and it has been his life's work to produce products that blend into the daily lives of the masses whilst offering outstanding visual performance and the most sustainable technology specifications on the market.
Li recently discovered a more sustainable way to manufacture driver chips, whilst reducing costs.
CYNTHIA MENNA
Vice president/general manager
Herman AV
Eight years at Herman AV (part of ADI Global Distribution) was preceded by nearly seven years as director at AVAD Business & Commerical Solution. Menna is highly respected throughout AV.
ALEXIS LA BROI
Director, AV Services Division MidPoint Technology Group
COLIN BIRNEY
Manager of consulting services
AV MSP
After a decade as a customer of audiovideo and IT in the corporate space, Birney decided to move into consultantancy and teaching, advocating for customers instead of vendors and manufacturers.
His focus is creating high-quality, user experiences through ITSM industry standards applied to the specific operation needs of each organisation.
AV MSP provides fully outsourced AV teams for corporate and education customers, via a tier 2 remote service desk, vendor management, AV team management, and AV team staffing. Also provides a full set of AV services including business consulting, AV design and project management.
ED MORGAN
Chief commercial officer
DisplayNote
Morgan "thrives at the intersections of product building, go-to-market and company growth". It's his mission to increase yearly revenues, grow product usage and help build a great company.
EVERT START
Fellow research engineer
Holoplot
Having worked on wave field synthesis since university, as a research engineer at Duran Audio (now Intellivox), Start introduced the very first beam shaping algorithm for loudspeaker arrays and developed 3D simulation software used for room acoustics, system design, loudspeaker array optimisation and prediction of acoustic parameters such as STI. His research and development work marked the starting point of the successful adoption of beamsteering column loudspeakers. At Holoplot, Start has honed X1’s 3D AudioBeamforming capabilities, making it entirely possible to control sound in the vertical and horizontal at concert-grade SPLs.
LAILA HEDE JENSEN
Chief commercial officer
ZetaDisplay
Jensen has transformed ZetaDisplay into a turnkey solutions provider which designs and delivers digital transformation solutions that span the whole customer journey. She has repositioned the company on the global stage, evolving from being a leader in the Nordics and Europe to an internationally recognised brand.
Jensen was chosen to feature in a campaign led by ISE for International Women’s Day, sharing advice and personal experiences of overcoming bias, and is working to ensure that more is being done to tackle areas of bias within the industry through mentorship opportunities, encouraging and supporting younger generations to take a leap into the tech industry.
Fuelled by her passion for the environment, she implemented ZetaDisplay’s first sustainability report and was pivotal in devising the policy across the group. ZetaDisplay is the first digital signage integrator to do this and it is inviting others to follow, making its findings public so that smaller companies can implement the same practices, contributing to a change for the industry as a whole.
ALESIA HENDLEY JATIN BHATT
European business development team head
Professional Displays & Solutions, Sony Europe
Business Development Representative
Audinate
Hendley is a well respected AV pro who found her passion at a young age as a sound engineer with her father’s church. In the early stages of the church’s foundation they couldn’t afford musicians. By utilising different audiovisual technologies she and her father found creative ways to go higher both musically and spiritually, taking the congregation with them. Now you can find her operating/installing audiovisual systems or executing creative ventures. As a young professional she’s finding ways to bring AV, creatives, and creative visions together in the effort to leave her mark by making an impact, not just an impression. Experienced AV professional, with over 14 years in B2B sales, pre-sales, project management, alliance management and leadership. Takes a "consultative approach" with all his clients to ensure they find the right solution together.
Previously director of accounts, UK and Nordic markets at Userful, developing business for the company’s enterprise software platform in mission critical video processing solutions, and before that was head of business development at Samsung.
Started out at Panasonic as pre-sales engineer, back in 2007, before moving to NEC Display Solutions Europe as strategic alliance manager.
GRAEME BAGLEY
Teaching space designer & product owner
Nottingham Trent University
Renowned for leading the design and implementation of audiovisual and digital technologies used in teaching and collaborative spaces.
PAUL CLARK
Senior vice president and managing director, EMEA
Poly
Clark has worked for Poly for almost 25 years, holding the position of EMEA MD for the first ten years, and then overseeing European product management before moving into various senior sales leadership roles. In his current position, Clark has supported customers with their needs for easier, more consistent communication and collaboration experiences, something that has become vital in today’s era of widespread hybrid work. His experience has allowed him to be a pivotal voice in the industry, especially during the hybrid work phenomenon, answering the question that has been on many businesses’ minds: how do we navigate the future of work?
IFFAT CHAUDHRY
Bid manager
Involve Visual Collaboration
Experienced multi-skilled bid manager with a demonstrated history of working in the education, information technology and services industry.
Strong communication skills and practical experience in pre-sales, bid preparation, bid writing, client relationship management, coaching, communication, leadership, project management, sales management, team building and training.
Respected sales professional and team player with a Bachelor's degree focused in Education & Environmental Studies from Brunel University, and MA Leadership from UCL.
LAINIE MATARAS
Director - consultant, architect, design
Planar
Experienced business development manager, skilled in collaboration solutions, sales, control systems, visual display solutions and content. Approaching three years at Planar.
BOB MICHAELS
President and CEO
ZeeVee
Senior executive with track record of increasing global revenues and profits for tech-based manufacturing companies in highly competitive markets. A decisive leader with strong strategic planning, operations, market analysis and product innovation skills, with the ability to develop an unprecedented level of customer trust leading to the early identification of customer needs and successful strategies to maximise new business opportunities. Proven ability to hire, lead and motivate highly talented, multi-cultural teams to execute these innovative visions. Highly experienced in new ventures, acquisitions and outsourcing in Asia Pacific. Started out at AVM in internal sales, progressing to projection screen sales and marketing specialist within six years. Business development manager from October 2020.
MAILE KEONE
President and CEO Listen Technologies
Keone is responsible for the day-to-day strategy and operations at Listen Technologies. She has worked in the technology industry for over 20 years and brings a wealth of experience to her role. Using her expertise, she's achieved great product and market positioning for the company and has been instrumental in Listen’s continued success. She has built world-class teams in sales and marketing, thanks to her philosophy, and loves finding out what people want to accomplish in life and help them achieve it. Her favourite part of the job is mentoring individuals. Working at Listen Technologies has taught Maile that you can run a successful company while doing good in the world.
DANIELLE WILLIAMS
Business development manager Audio Visual Material Limited
MARK DELGUIDICE
Senior sales consultant
Viper Cabling
Provides AV systems and install technicians to integrators, vendors, VARs, distributors, for corporate, hospitality, HoW, EDU/Govt, military, and broadcast industries.
SHANE SPRINGER
Senior technical architect
Zoom
Technical and strategic leader focused on continued improvement personally and organisationally, as well as an experienced innovator with a focus on growth that "moves a global needle through creativity and process", Springer is responsible for dozens of patent applications and industryleading features within Zoom's products.
Played a vital role in process improvement and auality assurance in several organisations, and is presently a board member for a leading industry-governance association, the Association for Quality in AudioVisual (AQAV.org), where he has also served on the organisation's steering committee.
TIMOTHY TROAST
Vice president & general manager, middle atlantic products
Legrand North America
Consistently delivers customer value and financial results beyond market averages through organic and inorganic growth models. Through high-impact, ROI-focused strategies, he boosts company size, revenue, and market penetration. Additionally, he leads acquisition due diligence activities, including post-M&A integration, to drive inorganic growth.
As a trusted business partner and C-level collaborator, Troast has presented several strategies to senior management and built consensus over key growth agendas.
Served on the AVIXA Commercial AV Association Standards Development Steering Committee.
LIAM J. HAYTER
Senior solutions architect
NewTek
MARC RISBY
Managing director
Boxer Systems & Digi-Box
Risby is an active member of the AVIXA community and a regular participant in their webinars as an AVoIP thought leader, bringing his passion and natural ability to explain complex technological concepts to a global audience. A regular presenter at a wide range of industry events, from SVG Sports Group and KitPlus to the MPTS Media and Technology Production Show, as well as a contributor to many industry judging panels, he has huge enthusiasm for the pro AV world. Creative workflow technologist with over 18 years experience in the creative, live, media production and post production sectors. Currently focused on end-to-end video/ audio over IP systems and solutions.
STEVE HUDSON
Chief operating officer Project Audio Video
Hudson has completely transformed Project Audio Visual’s business strategy and offering over the last 12 months, transitioning the company from being an integrator delivering corporate and retail solutions to a ‘go to’ business for Microsoft Teams Rooms. This new approach has already seen incredible success, with the company delivering over 4,000 Teams Rooms, achieving platinum partner status with nine of the leading Microsoft Certified vendors and more than doubling the team in the last year.
VIRTUAL PRODUCTION:
BRAVE NEW BEGINNING FOR PRO AV?
The rapid rise of virtual production, and its demand for AV technologies and services, has helped to balance out pandemic-related slowdowns elsewhere. But as David Davies reports, we’ve only seen the start of what is set to be a hugely rewarding new market for the industry
