High-profile exits cause for concern

The broadcast market is witnessing an unusually large movement of human resources, not just on the international front but regionally as well. When you see people who have almost become synonymous with the brands they represent moving to pastures new, it compels you to question if all is well in our industry.

First, there was Said Bacho, who we thought was firmly entrenched in Harris Broadcast until he shocked the market by announcing he was leaving for Grass Valley. We were taken aback when Bruno Schmetz, who was almost synonymous with the EVS brand in Dubai, bid goodbye and headed for Ericsson. Then it was Andrew Davies’ turn. After seven long years at TSL, he decided to join WRN in the UK. The latest in this line of departure is John Aslett, who headed Avid’s Middle East operations for around eight years. He is due to leave the company at the end of this month.

These are people who invested a significant number of years with their respective companies, so their move could be disconcerting for those left behind.

And this is not all. We have seen several people leave Sony Professional Solutions Middle East in recent months. Likewise, at Media Group International, several people have come and gone.

Ironically, these two systems integrators were the main contenders for the big fat Al Jazeera Work Transformational project, which hasn’t materialised yet. There are rumours that it will be shelved or integrated internally, keeping everyone involved on tenterhooks.

Essentially, this large movement indicates some sort of flux in the market and while it can’t be all bad, it also can’t be all good.

This month, therefore, we bring you several stories that we first broke online about people on the move on the regional front because we believe that it is a significant reflection of the change that is coming to the market.