Grass Valley splits APAC operations between new hires
Published: ASIA
APAC: Grass Valley has expanded its leadership team in Asia Pacific following a successful year in the region. Somu Patil has been named as the Belden brand’s vice president of sales for Asia, while Ward Hansford joins the company to take on the role of vice president of sales for Oceania.
The two appointments are the result of Grass Valley dividing its APAC operations into two separate regions, which it states will improve the customer and partner experience and strengthen its local presence in each area. The new Asia region comprises China, Japan, North Asia, South Asia and ASEAN, while the Oceania region includes Australia and New Zealand.
Based in Hong Kong, Mr Patil has been with Grass Valley since 2013, serving in a number of roles, including that of regional director for South Asia and ASEAN. He has more than 20 years of relevant industry experience and will act as the direct report for regional pre-sales and regional sales operations in his new position.
With over 30 years of industry experience, Mr Hansford lives and works in Sydney, Australia. His most recent role, prior to coming aboard Grass Valley, was as head of APAC television at Ericson. Mr Hansford has also been active with SMPTE as its Australian section chair.
‘Our teams have helped us to establish Grass Valley as a powerhouse in the overall APAC market and set the organisation on course for a solid 2017,’ said Stephen Stubelt, senior vice president of global sales at Grass Valley. ‘The changes we’re making are aimed at continuing our growth and addressing the individual business opportunities in each of these areas. Under the experienced leadership of Somu and Ward, we’re ready to help our partners and customers find the right solutions for the changing demands of the broadcast and production markets.’