Systems Integration Asia – April-May 2018

Another example is Hospitality, where our business development is
set-up, we are now very end customer-focused. We have recently
introduced a JBL Sound Bar soluon for the hospitality segment with
a straighorward and easy-to-use design that does not have
Bluetooth nor WiFi, but offers our world renowned sound quality
and volume control in a single touch operaon. This soluon was
developed in consultaon with leading hospitality chains as per their
requirement for a simple operaonal system that provided their
customers with world class audio.

In my opinion, It is all about geng to know your customer beer,
and leveraging technology to offer them a reliable soluon to help
them achieve their objecves. The next big step will be all about
soware. It will become more and more crical. Arficial Intelligence
will also change what we are doing. For us as a manufacturer,
bringing futurisc needs to meet customer needs is where we will be
heading.

Samsung and unfounded fears

Samsung completed its acquision of HARMAN last year and is very
bullish on the future of HARMAN Professional Soluons and its AV
brands. We see a
huge synergy
working together
in the B2B
segments,
represenng a
huge opportunity
for both Samsung
and HARMAN
Professional
Soluons. Samsung
sees real value in
the brands of
HARMAN
Professional
Soluons, so with
Samsung's full
support, we have
some very excing
mes ahead

I have been very energized as it allows HARMAN Professional
Soluons to play in a larger sand-box and the associaon has been
very fruiul.

Goals and objecves

While industry stascs give us an idea of the growth opportunies
available, we prefer to think in terms of accelerated growth. When
you think big, you deliver big, and this approach is at the heart of the
thinking of the APAC team. We can achieve this by mulple ways:
offering beer Customer Experiences; providing our partners and
the SI community with tools that will make them successful in
installing and commissioning HARMAN products and soluons; and
by ensuring we remain the preferred employer of choice. We need
to keep pushing boundaries, seng new goals and higher ambions
for ourselves.

We need to be BIGGER, BETTER and BOLDER. That is the ethos of the

business and I want to make it happen. We need to change our

mind-set not only as HARMAN, but as an industry. We need to plant

that vision now for a beer future.

In APAC, Over the past 17 months, we have planned strategies and

invested me to dig deeper into the countries and vercal segments

we serve. Our investment in business development; focus on specific

vercal markets; and training and engagement with our partners has

helped us deliver a customer first approach. This has enabled us to

grow significantly in several industry vercals and we can now start

building customers and soluons in newer vercals. Our total

soluon offering will help us consolidate our market posion and

explore newer growth opportunies, not only in developed markets,

but also in emerging markets.

Final thoughts

I love the passion, energy and the strong team that we have put

together. Many of the teams within our business have been 10+

years and with new leaders, we bring in a great mix of thought

process to the

table. In fact, we

have doubled the

number of staff in

APAC! There is so

much diversity in

the team now,

which I am

confident will

help build the

business.

We cannot go far

without our

partners. For that,

I am grateful to

them. I am

excited that they

are pung in the

effort to make the

changes in their own companies to align with our strategies. Over

the months, I have seen our teams and partners energised. The

collaboraon and posivity has built-up and that's even being felt

where it maers the most – the end users. Strong growth takes a

concerted effort, focusing on our strengths, creang a new way of

thinking and pursuing it with all our energy.

With the team and our partners coming together with a renewed

mind set, I am confident that we can achieve greater heights

together. We will definitely be BIGGER, BETTER, BOLDER, in the

coming years.

hps://pro.harman.com/

S I A

Customer engagement at Experience Centre

INTERVIEW