Irdeto; the proven expert in content security for digital TV, IPTV and mobile; announced today that CEO Graham Kill has relocated to the company’s Beijing, China office. His role will not change, but his base will now be Beijing as opposed to Amsterdam and the move is the next step in a strategic plan to make Irdeto ready for a future where the emerging markets are more on a par with the current more mature markets of Western Europe and North America.
Irdeto originally designated Beijing as its APAC regional headquarters in 1998, a move initially considered against the global business trend as most considered other locations in Asia for such regional headquarters. That choice demonstrated considerable foresight as China has become Asia’s center of economic gravity. The relocation signifies an important step in the company’s overall growth, continued investment in the European market and the rest of the world, and an acceleration of investment in the Asian arena.
Irdeto’s Beijing office will now not only be the center for its Chinese operations and APAC regional headquarters with their respective management and teams, but will also be a base for part of Irdeto’s corporate management. The strategic plan is to have a more balanced Irdeto organization between East and West centered on Beijing and Amsterdam respectively. Other smaller regional offices will continue to ensure that Irdeto remains as close as possible to the markets it serves.
“The Asian region is already a strong market for Irdeto contributing to about 30 percent of our revenue last year. Structurally, we want to move away from the traditional concept of a single headquarters and be even more representative of the markets and customers we serve by changing the way we operate to be more balanced between East and West. As a result, we intend to further increase our responsiveness to customers in the Eastern hemisphere, although the concept of East and West is already a traditional one as it depends from where you view the world,” said Graham Kill, CEO for Irdeto. “That means ensuring senior management is well represented in places like Beijing, a move we believe to be beneficial for customers, partners and our teams in various locations. We have always been pioneers in the industry, and innovating organizationally is just as important as our track record of product and technology innovations.”
Irdeto has teamed with London Business School’s Management Innovation Lab to help it make these changes in a controlled way and evaluate the changes that result. Such a collaboration takes the organizational innovation to yet a higher level. The Lab was co-founded by Professor Gary Hamel, “the world’s leading expert on business strategy” (Fortune 2006) and Julian Birkinshaw, London Business School professor of Strategic and International Management. The Lab creates a setting in which progressive companies at the cutting-edge of management innovation and world-renowned management scholars work together to co-create “tomorrow’s best practices” today.
“Irdeto is ahead of the curve in moving away from a single national headquarters to a dual-focused headquarters in Beijing and Amsterdam,” said Julian Birkinshaw, Professor at the London Business School. “This shift allows the company to get much closer to new market opportunities in Asia and to tap into ideas and skills wherever in the company they arise. We are excited to be partnering with Irdeto in this change, and we see it as an excellent example of a carefully-thought out management innovation.”
Irdeto continues to invest in its European headquarters, as demonstrated by plans it recently unveiled to build a new building in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The new building is planned for completion in 2009. The facility will be a model of “green” design utilizing the latest in sustainable environmental architectural principles.
About Irdeto
Irdeto, the proven expert in content security, provides comprehensive solutions for content protection in digital TV, IPTV and mobile environments. Irdeto is a subsidiary of multinational media group Naspers (JSE: NPN). The company’s support, sales and R&D offices are located worldwide with corporate headquarters near Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Irdeto offers both hardware and software-based solutions. The company works with an impressive list of leading industry partners to create end-to-end solutions for any pay media business. Irdeto’s goal is to help operators increase content revenue by offering best-of-class security solutions supporting a wide range of revenue models. With 40 years of experience and the best security record in the industry, with more piracy-free years and fewer smart card swaps than any vendor, more than 300 customers worldwide trust Irdeto for integrated, end-to-end solutions. For further information on the company, please visit www.irdeto.com.
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