PPDS appoints Andrea Barbuti as Global Product Management Lead

PPDS has promoted Andrea Barbuti to the newly created role of Global Product Management Lead for the EMEA region. Andrea is based in Ghent and will be reporting to William Xiong, VP Global Product Management. Andrea has been with PPDS since 2015 when he started as an Application Engineer and was later named PPDS Global Product Manager Total Solutions in 2020. His expertise and commitment have played a significant role in the company's strategic focus on complete hardware and software solutions for various global markets, including EMEA, North America, India, and Asia Pacific.

Throughout his career with the company, Andrea has been acknowledged for his natural leadership skills and has been instrumental in driving the company's sustainability strategy. He played a key role in introducing the professional Android SoC for Philips Professional Displays and led the creation of energy-efficient digital signage solutions with globally recognised sustainability certifications. Notable products include the zero power Philips Tableaux and the Philips Signage 3000 Series EcoDesign (QE-Line), which achieved the world's first C rated European Energy Label for digital signage and an EPEAT Silver Climate+ accreditation.

In his expanded role, Andrea will oversee product management and technical support for all PPDS signage products across EMEA. Additionally, he will integrate the unique requirements of every global region to lead professional display product management for PPDS.

Expressing his enthusiasm for the new role, Andrea stated, "I am excited to have been given the opportunity and responsibility to lead Global Product Management from my home ground in Europe. Entering my tenth year with the company, I have never been more motivated or excited to be part of the team. The growth and impact we have, together with the leaps we have made in driving the importance of sustainability, for our customers and for the AV industry as a whole, have been nothing short of extraordinary. This is testament to the devotion and innovative minds of our elite team of professionals—the real backbone of our business."

He added, "I look forward to continuing our commitment to providing best-in-class professional display products and software solutions to meet the evolving needs of our customers around the world."

Andrea's appointment comes shortly after the promotion of Jan Van Tieghem, a 15-year veteran of the company, to Director of Technical Sales Support. This underscores PPDS's commitment to fostering talent within the AV industry.

Martijn van der Woude, VP Global Marketing and Business Development, commented on Andrea's appointment: "Andrea's leadership skills, coupled with his extensive industry knowledge and experience, make him the ideal candidate to bring a European perspective to our global product strategy—something we think is unique for our industry."

He continued, "We are extremely fortunate to have some of the market's most enterprising leaders here at PPDS, with every one of them recognised for playing a vital role in the development and success of our company. Andrea has a great track record and dedication to bringing new, more energy-conscious products to market, and we have full confidence in his abilities to drive the next wave of innovation. On behalf of the PPDS team, I extend congratulations to Andrea on his well-deserved promotion."