Systems Integration Asia – April-May 2018

HIGHLIGHT

Mahua Mukhopadhyay, the 'rst lady' of

the AVID family, brings many such things to AV

The AWC Advantage to AV Industry

Indian AV is some story today. Of success and accomplishment. Having travelled the

inial mes of uncertaines, tesng and endurances, it made its own script on the

global stage of recognion. Interesngly, the credenal – presgious as it is – has an

important stakeholder on its journey to reckoning. Represenng that stakeholder

community at the highest level is Mahua Mukhopadhyay, the 'first lady' of the AVID

family, who is going places with AV. An SIA perspecve.

'Women hold up half the sky!’

Those famous words by Mao Zedong, perhaps, have manifested in
very many ways the world over, to echo the pride and place that
female genius deserved in an unfoundedly male-dominated human
acvity!

Audio-Visual industry might not be the first one to understand and
imbibe this exalted phenomenon into its ranks and iniaves, and
India can be no excepon too. In about 40 years of known history of
the Industry, there haven't been a handful of examples of 'women
holding up half the (AV) space,' or even less than that. Like all other
industries, AV industry too had been taking its strides and retreats
with its dominant gender stakeholders, almost all through.

However, that's only – probably the generic – side of the story. There
had been some specifics, taking roots some me ago, and it all
began flowering recently though gradually.

The most asserve proposion came into reckoning almost nine
months ago – in June 2017, with Mahua Mukhopadhyay, the Co-
Founder and Director of AV Integraon Distribuon (India) Private
Limited was honoured on the floor of InfoComm Internaonal (now
AVIXA)* in Orlando with the 'InfoComm 2017 Women in AV' Award.
The Women in AV Award recognizes and rewards female AV
professionals who represent a strong entrepreneurial spirit and
excellence in technology
management. Created by
InfoComm in 2008 to raise
awareness of the growing role of
female professionals in the male-
dominated field of audiovisual
technology, the Award also seeks
to contribute the genius women
bring to AV technopreneurship at
the highest level.

In a very strange coincidence, in
the same year as InfoComm
instuted the Award, Mahua Co-
Founded AVID, along with her
husband Kaushik Mukhopadhyay,
already a renowned name in the
industry, having set-up Integrated
Audio-Visual (IAV) India- four years
before AVID, backing up on years
of proven experse in AV

integraon and management.

So, an AVID enthusiast as well can construe that even as InfoComm

instuted an instrument of AV entrepreneurial excellence, it took its

seeding in India. Ten years of determined business experse

persuasion, and it found coveted glory. Almost a crowning glory in

the form of Women in AV Award from the apex instuon of the

industry!

What's more, it came at me when the AVID family began planning

their 10th anniversary celebraons. It couldn't have goen beer!

“Perhaps, our perseverance and performance spoke for it,” quips an

exultant Mahua, even as she was busily engrossed in finetuning the

preparaons for Anniversary celebraons.

A science Graduate, and a Post-Graduate Diploma holder in Systems

Management, Mahua spent many years in IT industry – with a

soware technology major, and leading the North America alliance

and channels team – before taking to AV industry. With over a

decade of experience in the AV/IT services industry, Mahua, along

with her husband Kaushik Mukhopadhyay, Co-Founded AVID India in

2008.

Set-up with an objecve of offering trusted experse and

deliverance in the domains of AV/IT services to the industry in India

and outside, the company rapidly grew to be among the top AV

systems integrators in Asia,

gaining form strength to

strength- so much so that it

there have been a multude of

awards and honours of

excellence. In what might be a

very envious disncon in their

class, Mahua and her company

have won over 30 awards for

their commendable work

naonally and internaonally,

and have been featured in both

print and electronic media

focused on the trade.

While each of those awards

have been special in their own

right and significance, three

five honours have been

parcularly characterizing:

Ÿ Started in March 2016 with member meeng at Bengaluru

Ÿ 1st Forum held at InfoComm Show at Mumbai during

September 2016

Ÿ Core Group formed at Bengaluru

Ÿ Regional Core Group formed with members at Bengaluru,

New Delhi & Mumbai

Ÿ Regional meengs held at Bengaluru & New Delhi during

March 2017

Ÿ 2nd Forum held at InfoComm Show at Mumbai during

September 2017 with parcipaon of 60 members

Ÿ Celebrated Women's day at Bengaluru, New Delhi & Mumbai

on March 8, 2018

Ÿ AVIXA's 1 day class at Bengaluru on “Essenals of AV

Technology” on March 16, 2018

The AWC Journey