The IBC Innovation Awards are judged by a panel of editors and consultants, drawn from around the industry and around the world.
IBC2025 Innovation Awards – Judging Panel
Fergal Ringrose - Chair
Fergal Ringrose is an independent writer and editor in the media technology marketplace. Ringrose was, most recently, full-time editorial director of Sports Video Group (SVG) Europe. Before that he was part-time executive editor of SVG Europe, alongside roles as founding executive editor of the IBC365 content platform and editor of the IBC Content Everywhere newsletter. From 2002 to 2014 Ringrose was editor and then editorial director of The IBC Daily, and from 1993 to 2013 he was editorial director of Television Broadcast (TVB) Europe magazine. He is a member of RTS and SMPTE.
Dr. Mike Short, CBE
Dr Mike Short has a portfolio career involving Telecomms / Satcomms and related services . This includes Chairing the UK Telecomms Innovation Network and UK Telecomms Labs , amongst other UK and International advisory work.
After 30 years in telecommunications with Telefonica, Mike worked at the UK Dept for Business and Trade (formerly DIT) from 2017 - 2023 as its first Chief Scientific Adviser. His role was to support inward investment and exports. This included international collaboration informed by the best science, and technology advice, and working with the UK’s research, innovation and academic communities to boost scientific and engineering exports. Earlier in his career he managed the launch of 2G (GSM) and 3G mobile technologies in the UK, trials in Mobile TV and Connected cars. He went on to lead international research, innovation and standards for Telefonica.
His career includes the promotion of international technical standards, and he is a former chair of the Global GSM Association, the UK Mobile Data Association, and was president of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (one of IBC’s partners) in 2011/12. He is a visiting professor at the Universities of Surrey, and UCL, and he was honoured with a CBE in 2012 for his services to the mobile industry.
Christine Gebhard
Managing Editor, Film, TV, Video
Christine Gebhard is the managing editior of the German speaking publication film-tv-video.de. She is an industry veteran with a deep knowledge of the broadcast and production market.
Christine has written for several German speaking magazines with a focus on video, film, TV and IT technology in the past.
Vijaya Cherian
Managing Partner, CPI Pro Media
Vijaya Cherian is managing partner at CPI Pro Media and editorial director of the Broadcast and Satellite Division at the publishing house. Based in Dubai, she has covered the MENA broadcast and satellite markets from a technical and commercial point of view for the last twenty years. She also produces well-attended conferences in the region for these sectors.
Heather McLean
Heather McLean got her first experience in broadcast journalism working on the IBC Daily as a reporter, which she continued to do for 12 years. She was bought onboard to add her knowledge as a long-time editor and reporter in the mobile and telecoms industry to the publication when IBC first introduced mobile TV and IP TV to the event. Today Heather is an editor at Sports Video Group (SVG) Europe, where she is also head of SVG Europe Women, an initiative to support and inspire women working in sports broadcast, and SVG Europe Audio, a group specifically for those working in sports broadcasting sound.
Over the last 20 years Heather has written for all the UK broadsheets on areas from technology to education, as well as publications including The IBC Daily, IBC365, TVB Europe, E-Forex Magazine, The Economist’s Executive Briefing, as well as working on The IBC Daily Executive Summary, the ISE Daily and Mobile World Congress Daily. She has also worked as a presenter for events and film.
Carolyn Giardina
Carolyn Giardina is senior entertainment technology and crafts editor at Variety, which she joined in 2024, following more than a decade at The Hollywood Reporter. She has also worked on titles including Cinema Editor, SHOOT, The IBC Daily and SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal. She lectures at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film & Media Arts and co-authored a book about stereoscopic 3D filmmaking, titled “Exploring 3D” (Focal Press, 2013).
Carolyn has been honoured with the American Cinema Editors’ Robert Wise Award, the International Cinematographers Guild’s Technicolor William A. Fraker Award, the Women in Technology Hollywood Leadership Award, and the Advanced Imaging Society’s Distinguished Leadership Lumiere Award. As a member of the HPA Board of Directors, she co-founded the HPA Awards.
Jenny Priestley
Jenny Priestley has worked across the media industry for almost 30 years, starting in radio at Capital FM before moving to online and print. She joined TVBEurope in 2017 as editor before being appointed as content director last year. As a journalist, she has covered a wide range of events including general elections, major breaking news, the BAFTA Film Awards and IBC Show. Her biggest achievement is interviewing Kermit and Miss Piggy.
Contact Us
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