Dan Cherowbrier - Jury Chair
Dan has a broad range of experience in broadcast engineering management, specifically with analytics, security & sports broadcasting. He is a director of security specialists Sea Eagle Group and analytics service provider TVA Group. He currently advises Formula E, E1 Electric Racing & Narrative Entertainment on the technical services.
Previously he has acted as interim Head of Engineering for Encompass leading engineering for their UK merger with Babcock Media Services, General Manager at the DPP, Engineering & Operations Director at Comux & Head of Commercial at Arqiva.
Angus Blackwood
As a leader, Angus has spent much of his career helping teams perform at their best. He has led engineering and operations teams at Director level positions for over 20 years. As Customer Services Director at Arqiva, Angus ran all the teams providing services to UK broadcasters and many of the world’s international broadcasters for 15 years.
Angus is currently Managing Director at HawkCX, a consulting company which enables its clients to deliver service excellence. Why service excellence? Because organisations that deliver a fantastic customer experience will ultimately win! He works with leading broadcasters and service providers and also travels extensively as an auditor for the World Teleport Association.
Angus is a Chartered Engineer with a degree in Engineering from Aberdeen University and an MBA from Warwick Business School. His earlier career was spent in engineering positions at ESA, Airbus, Telespazio and WorldSpace.
Ben Shwarz
As an active consultant, analyst and blogger, Ben is recognised as an international thought leader in the converging media space. After ten years in IT at Logica CMG, he became CTO of a music start-up during the Internet bubble. Ben spent the next ten years in telecoms, with Orange, aligning strategy to a world with the Internet. He ran innovation programs launching several media-based services including the operator’s first music streaming service and IPTV in Europe and Africa.
Since 2008 Ben has run his own company, CTO Innovation Consulting, now helping international clients with strategy and business modeling technology.
In 2012, Ben added communications and PR to his portfolio, honing the messaging for several vendors. In this capacity, he has driven the design booths at several international shows including NAB and IBC. He has published over a dozen industry white papers and contributes to several blogs.
Ben joined the Ultra HD Forum in 2015 where he works on next-generation TV and entertainment and now chairs the communications workgroup. In 2018 Ben started running Communications for a blockchain start-up, RIDDLE&CODE. He lives in Paris, and his social media name is @nebul2.
Drew Englebright
Drew is a strategic Business Leader with over 20 years of experience in Media, Marketing, Advertising, Broadcasting, Events and Entertainment. He has held CFO and Finance Director roles within the UK for IBC, GroupM and MEC respectively.
His KPMG background underpins business knowledge within Broadcasting with work on BBC, Modern Times Group and Seven Network Australia. Thereafter his industry experience covers, but is not limited to: Media Planning and Buying, Digital and Social Media Marketing, Analytics & Insight, IT Platforms & Proprietary Tool Development, Creative, Events, Sponsorship, Branded Content and TV production.
Russell Trafford-Jones
Russell Trafford-Jones is a writer and technology evangelist with a background in contribution, compression and live sports production. As vice-chair of the IET Media Technical Network, Russell works to promote education and diversity within the broadcast industry. His website, The Broadcast Knowledge, educates by bringing together all the industry’s explanatory videos in to once place.
Russell has worked for a number of years at Techex, cloud and video over IP specialists in the UK, and leads their collaboration with industry bodies to create and test new technologies.
Matthew Williams-Neale
Matthew is Vice President, Marketing at Appear, with responsibility for marketing programmes, brand management and corporate communications. Matt has been exhibiting at IBC for many years, with 20 years’ experience working within the broadcast, media technology and telecommunications industries. Prior to Appear, Matt held various B2B marketing positions at Arqiva, ITV, Red Bee Media and the BBC.
Laura Christmas
Laura is a Programme & Project Management professional specialising in the broadcast industry. Currently working with FIA Formula E she is delivering innovate projects within the world of motorsport.
With 14+ years of experience managing programmes and projects within Broadcasting and the Creative Industries Laura has a unique set of skills that helps bridge the gap between technical and creative teams.
Stephen Stewart
A television and radio professional with over 40 years in the industry, Stephen has enjoyed roles as varied as commercial producer, gallery director for tv programmes ranging from Formula 1 to UK Parliament.
As well as TV production, Stephen is experienced in TV playout and media services having worked for the BBC, Channel 4, Red Bee Media and Deluxe.
More recently the lure of AI and machine learning has seen Stephen move into the advertising technology space with Mirriad Advertising before becoming COO at Take 1 Script Services where he was responsible for the Operations, Product and Media Technology teams, delivering thousands of hours of transcription, dubbing and access services to some of the world’s largest production companies and networks.
Stephen is now the Motion Picture Association’s TPN Ambassador for the UK & EMEA, an advisor to Media organisations, a member of the IET Media Executive Committee, a Rise Advisory Board member & mentor, an active contributor to the Rise Academy, as well as being the former Vice Chair of the Royal Television Society’s Technology Centre
Natasha Jones
Natasha is a Technical Specialist for BT Media & Broadcast, providing support to the sales team by designing solutions for the contribution & distribution of video content, globally.
An avid volunteer of Rise Academy, educating young people about the broadcast industry whilst trying to create talent pipeline for technical roles throughout the media & broadcast sector.
Meeting people and feeling the industry buzz will always be up there with her favourite things to do, so she is supporting SMPTE UK, to find opportunities and bring that ‘buzz’ closer to home, the north of England.
Barbara Lange
Barbara Lange is a seasoned entrepreneur and accomplished executive business leader, with over 35 years of management experience. Her career includes serving as Executive Director and CEO for prominent global not-for-profit professional associations. Barbara is renowned for her exceptional leadership skills, effectively collaborating with Boards to optimize organizational performance and ensure enduring success.
In 2022, she founded Kibo121, a consultancy committed to guiding industry towards sustainable solutions, encompassing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations.
Kibo121 specializes in guiding organizations to seamlessly integrate ESG initiatives into their core operations, ensuring regulatory compliance and minimizing legal risks in an ever-evolving landscape. Kibo121's services encompass sustainability strategic planning, assessment support, sustainability practice coaching, and thought leadership. Barbara’s expertise in sustainability has made her a sought-after speaker at prominent industry events, including the NAB Show, SVG (Sports Video Group), IBC, SMPTE, SMW (Streaming Media West), and the HPA Tech Retreat. She designed, and now manages, the NAB Show’s Excellence in Sustainability Awards, as well as being the lead judge for the Corporate Star Awards.
In 2023, Kibo121 co-founded the Media Tech Sustainability Series (MTSS), a non-commercial program to aid the media tech industry on sustainability issues through webinars, training, and industry events.
Barbara's achievements include executive leadership role at the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA), two prominent industry associations. Previous roles include business development and product management functions at the IEEE. Presently, she serves on the board and chairs a working group of the Greening of Streaming industry initiative and is engaged with Compton and Co. She is a member of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP), SMPTE, and the HPA.
Her distinguished leadership has earned her recognition from Washington & Jefferson College, the IEEE, and StudioDaily50. In 2020, Barbara was selected as TVNewscheck's Woman in Technology Award honoree. In 2021, TVB Europe designated her as a Technology Leader to Watch, while Broadcast & Cable honored her with its Tech Leadership Award.
Barbara holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Chemistry and German, along with certificates from the Entrepreneurial Growth Lab of the Women’s Enterprise Development Center, Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management’s Executive Management Program, and NYU School of Continuing Development. She holds both US and EU passports and is proficient in German.