GatesAir Appoints Andy McClelland to EMEA Sales Leadership Role
As Managing Director, EMEA, the industry veteran will drive new initiatives and business opportunities across the region, with an emphasis on digital transitions
GatesAir, a global leader in wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions for radio and TV broadcasters, is bringing fresh leadership to its global sales team with the appointment of Andy McClelland as Managing Director, EMEA, effective immediately. Based in the United Kingdom, Andy will lead a team of regional sales managers and technical pre-sales specialists across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India, and report directly to Rich Redmond, President and Managing Director, International.
Andy comes to GatesAir with more than 20 years of experience in the broadcast, cable and telecommunications industries, including 13 years as a regional sales manager with Harris Broadcast, the prior parent company of GatesAir. Upon leaving Harris in 2013, he moved onto director-level sales roles of increasing responsibility with Ericsson Broadcast Services, Imagine Communications, and Harmonic. Across all of these roles, Andy excelled at sales team management and establishing personal relationships with customers, and he regularly exceeded sales quotas.
Andy’s return to GatesAir is ideal since the company is experiencing record year-on-year growth. Andy’s vast transmission experience, coupled with deep video encoding and headend solutions knowledge, uniquely positions him to drive go-to-market initiatives for digital TV and digital radio transitions alike. Andy also sees opportunity to grow GatesAir’s Intraplex business due to the escalating adoption of IP as a primary transport and networking platform.
“My perspective of the broadcast business has always been to look at the headend forward to the transmitter, which I believe is instrumental to helping broadcasters fully leverage the opportunities that come with the latest digital broadcast standards,” said McClelland. “In television, much of the world has yet to transition from analog while other countries are looking to transition from early digital standards, which will enable broadcasters to deliver more channels and services over the air. My experience with today’s highly efficient encoding platforms and other headend technologies will help to build stronger relationships with the network operators that manage these systems end to end.”
Andy also anticipates playing a key role in the continued expansion of GatesAir’s partner network. “I am delighted to learn GatesAir has a very strong channel partner network which will be key to our success going forward,” continued McClelland. “The successful repack program in the US has strengthened the company and its portfolio and provides some terrific lessons learned as we undertake similar initiatives in this region.”
“Andy is a proven leader with a strong track record in building brand loyalty through strong customer relations,” said Redmond. “These traits, along with his business development skills and expertise, will undoubtedly help GatesAir build on its global success and drive new business opportunities. We’re proud to welcome Andy back to the GatesAir family.”
About GatesAir
GatesAir, Inc., a portfolio company of The Gores Group, provides complete solutions for over-the-air radio and television broadcasting, leveraging wireless spectrum to maximize performance for multichannel, mission-critical services. Powering over-the-air networks worldwide with unparalleled reliability for nearly 100 years, GatesAir’s turnkey solutions enable broadcasters to create, transport and transmit radio and TV content. With customers in more than 185 countries, the company leads the industry in innovation and design breakthroughs, improving efficiency and reducing total cost of ownership with all products designed and assembled in the USA. Visit www.gatesair.com for more information, Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gatesair, and follow us on Twitter at @GatesAir.
About The Gores Group
The Gores Group, founded in 1987 by Alec Gores, is a global investment firm focused on acquiring controlling interests in mature and growing businesses which can benefit from the firm's operating experience and flexible capital base. The firm combines the operational expertise and detailed due diligence capabilities of a strategic buyer with the seasoned M&A team of a traditional financial buyer. Over its 30-year history, The Gores Group has become a leading investor having demonstrated a reliable track record of creating value in its portfolio companies alongside management. Headquartered in Los Angeles, The Gores Group maintains offices in Boulder, CO, and London. For more information, please visit http://www.gores.com.