Andrew Mead , London, United Kingdom

I love the broadcast television world with it's constantly changing technology and new exciting challenges, I thoroughly enjoy the ever changing environment and the people working within it.

I always strive to deliver exactly what the customer wants, be that via project management, architecture or integration.

Technical
I am an experienced (20+ years) system/solution architect and hands-on system integrator/engineer in the field of digital TV, STBs, play-out, content management, MAM, VOD, Workflow, head ends, back office, CA/DRM, MW, Applications, networks, CDNs, for linear broadcast, IPTV and OTT delivery. AV experience with Cisco Webex.
Distribution network experience with all technologies, TCP/IP, VOIP, Routers, DNS, MSserver, ACS, Home gateway, CPE etc. Relevant technologies, Cisco, Juniper, SQL, MS server, Linux, Scripting, Packaging, Security etc.
System integration, deployment, testing/commissioning of all digital broadcast technologies, primarily IPTV/OTT (Fixed IP and Cloud), integrating with existing legacy systems for continuity, particularly Applications, STBs and CPE as this is crucial to successful deployment.

Project/programme management
I have managed diverse projects (10+ years) in the field of video and TV in multicultural environments worldwide. The projects were from SME size to multi-million complete systems. Focus on teamwork to achieve the goals. I expect the team to be perfectly capable of completing its tasks, however, I am able to dive into the very detail whenever necessary. Always focused on delivery, tracking issues and dealing with them proactively before they escalate into serious problems.
Use of common PM tools and methodology, Agile, Prince2, MS Project, RAID, RACI, JIRA etc, however adapting where necessary to suit the environment and organisation, I believe tools are vital but need to be coupled with flexibility and innovation when required. Virtual project management, stand alone or combined with standard methods.

Product development/management:
Both developed and managed various products over my carrier, HW, SW and a combination of the two.
At Philips I designed and managed the development of a redundant multi-transponder statistical multiplexing system. This involved HW (computers/controller), Embedded SW (encoders/controller), Application SW. This was a highly sophisticated product used on all Philips large systems e.g. BBC, UPC, SKY, ASTRO, ASTRA etc.
Recently the product development has been more SW, specifically Apps, Customer web portals and customer facing products.
For two major projects in SE Asia I worked on the playout app for CPEs, this involved the architecture and the development supervision. These were run in an Agile environment with CD/CI using small trial groups for the continuous integration before rolling out to all customers.
I have of course developed/managed several others from conception to delivery but they basically follow the same principles.


Relational
I am very customer orientated and experienced dealing with various levels of business organisations, from both vendor and operator perspective, from wiremen up to CTO/CEO-level. As I have worked at both sides of the table, I can easily understand and anticipate the other side’s attitude and actions. I am extremely good at communication, this is essential for all projects. Communication is even more relevant, in fact critical, when dealing with virtual teams.
I am very capable of dealing with stressful situations. I have learnt over the years that not only can I deal with stress but I am also capable of dealing with this within a team. Again, clear communication plays an important role within stressful situations.
Due to working worldwide I have developed, over time, the ability to clearly explain issues both to non native English speakers and people of various disciplines and corporate level.