Making Waves (AV Magazine)

Dr. Veronique Larcher, Managing Director of Sennheiser Mobility, joins AV Magazine editor Caroline Hayes to discuss her journey from audio engineering research to leading immersive audio solutions for the automotive industry. She reflects on the importance of mentorship, embracing new challenges, encouraging more women into STEM and AV, and how innovation in immersive audio is shaping the future of mobility and in-car entertainment. 

Alison Charters, Audio Business Manager at Midwich, joins AV Magazine editor Caroline Hayes to discuss her unconventional journey into the AV industry, the value of transferable skills, and why inclusion is essential to attracting and retaining more women in AV. Together they explore mentorship, imposter syndrome, flexible working, and how the industry can raise awareness of the diverse career opportunities it offers. 

Natasha Laslett, Global Account Director at Diversified, joins AV Magazine editor Caroline Hayes to discuss her journey into the AV industry, from languages and graphics technology to global account management. She reflects on the changing role of AV, the importance of transferable skills, women in technical sales, and why curiosity, innovation and relationship-building are shaping the future of the industry. 

Morgan Cameron, Head of Technical Design at 59 Studio, and Lauren Sweeney, UX/UI Designer at 7th Sense, join AV Magazine editor Caroline Hayes to discuss their mentor-mentee experience through the Rise AV programme. They explore career transitions into AV, the value of confidence and community, the importance of diverse perspectives in technical and creative roles, and how mentoring can help attract and retain talent across the industry.

Jane Hammersley, co-founder of Blue Touch Paper, and Georgina Austin-Smith, Commercial Director at Spore, join AV Magazine editor Caroline Hayes to discuss their experience as mentor and mentee on the Rise AV mentoring programme. They explore the impact of mentorship on confidence, career progression and leadership, the importance of building a supportive network, and how mentoring can help attract, develop and retain more diverse talent across the AV industry.

Caroline Hayes is joined by Daryl Clarke (Workplace Vision), Will Hegan (Diversified) and Yasmine Reichers, CEO of Neumann and Executive Board Member of the Sennheiser Group, to discuss why investing in women is an investment in the future of the AV industry. They explore the importance of mentoring, leadership, workplace culture, career development and education, while examining how attracting, supporting and retaining more women can help address the industry's skills shortage and drive long-term innovation. 
 

Caroline Hayes is joined by Elizabeth Callens (Barco), Harriet Balshaw (One Media), Teresa Juncosa Umaran (Kado Audio Visual) and Hanieh Motamedian (Pure AV) to discuss their experiences on the Rise AV Elevate programme. They share how the leadership initiative helped build confidence, develop practical management skills, strengthen professional networks and prepare them for the next stage of their careers, while highlighting the importance of investing in diverse leadership across the AV industry. 

Matrox Video co-founder and president, Lorne Trottier reflects on 50 years in the industry, looks ahead to InfoComm and reveals more about the company's open source codec development.   

Danielle Myburgh, Sales Director at Pixel Global AV, discusses her journey into the AV industry, the evolution of workplace technology and the importance of community within the sector. She explains how her background in sales and customer experience has shaped her people-first approach to AV, with a focus on creating intuitive, seamless technology experiences that support collaboration and productivity. She also touched upon how initiatives such as Girls with Drive and the Rise AV Elevate programme are helping build stronger connections and greater visibility for women across the AV industry.
Martine Dodwell-Bennett, founder of Girls with Drive, discusses how the initiative began, why it is important and the opportunities it has created. We also hear from participants Beky Cann and Danielle Myburgh about why they joined, their previous experiences with golf and what they have learned from taking part. Together, they reflect on the confidence the programme has given them to participate in what is often perceived as a male-dominated networking environment.

Episode 2&3
Anna Shahin of Audiologic discusses her career journey and what led her into the AV industry, along with the defining moments, challenges, growth and achievements that have shaped her path. She also highlights the importance of supportive workplaces and initiatives such as Rise AV in helping women develop their careers.
Rachael Hamilton, Managing Director of Rise AV, shares insights into the success of last year’s mentoring programme, the launch of this year’s initiative and the introduction of the new Elevate programme. She also reinforces the importance of representation and increasing the visibility of women in the AV industry.