Neat hires Jason MacBride to lead A/NZ

Norwegian video technology vendor Neat has appointed Jason MacBride as its new regional director for Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ). 

Based in Sydney, MacBride will focus on accelerating Neat’s growth across A/NZ and the wider Oceania region.

“The impact of the last few years has led A/NZ organisations to adapt and re-adapt to rapid change. Optimising hybrid work with new technologies and processes remains a major investment focus and shows no signs of slowing down,” MacBride said. 

“We’re seeing huge growth driven by customers looking beyond traditional video conferencing setups for flexible and easier to operate devices that support hybrid working. 

“My focus will be on working closely with the team at Neat and our wider partner community to ensure our customers have access to the latest product innovation that delivers the best collaboration experiences possible.”

MacBride joins Neat after more than seven years at Poly. His priorities include channel partner growth and expanding Neat’s customer footprint into new vertical industry sectors.

“Energy and mining companies operate in extreme environments and there is a need for simple to deploy, simple to use and simple to manage video solutions like those delivered by Neat,” he said. 

“Our focus will be on supporting these organisations as they adapt to meet the evolving demands of their hybrid workforces. Neat devices will help them stay better connected to their employers and customers.”

Meanwhile has scored two significant customer wins – Atlassian in Australia and Hutt City Council in New Zealand.

According to MacBride, customers like Atlassian and Hutt City Council want simple, reliable meeting room solutions that “just work”, as well as the freedom to engage on video devices flexible enough to adapt to any situation.

“Companies are no longer interested in spending tens of thousands of dollars on a single ‘complex’ meeting space,” he said. 

“As complexity is removed from the meeting room, so too is cost. Our customers are seeing value in how we have simplified the technology – removing unnecessary cables, programming and various licenses reduce the overall cost per room, allowing customers to video-enable more rooms.”

MacBride said reducing the complexity of the technology, reduces the number of support calls or how often engineers need to go onsite. 

“This allows our partners to focus on more financially rewarding activities, reducing overheads and improving their bottom line. Our partner program also includes rebates for our top-tier resellers, as another way we work to help their business,” he said.

“Resellers and systems integrators that are willing to adapt and truly help their customers transform their office space, regardless of deployment size, are most successful. Remember, the reseller is still able to assist with professional services (installation, room remediation, acoustic improvement reports, etc.) and ongoing managed services.”

To date, Neat has sold over 200,000 video devices to over 12,500 customers globally with more than 11,000 of them in A/NZ.