question & answer A smarter Christmas ahead


South Korean TV technology brand Humax has been active in the UK market for more than 30 years, and is well known for its smart TV products. We caught up with James Sandison, who was recently promoted and is now head of UK sales at Humax


I


n the UK, the company comprises a modestly small team, which has


recently been restructured with a number of new roles and employees. IER’s managing editor Simon King started


by asking Mr Sandison about his new role and what Humax has in the pipeline for the independent channel for the Christmas period and beyond.


Simon King: Congratulations on your promotion James. Please tell us a little bit about your new role. James Sandison: I joined Humax in early 2018 as national accounts manager, and my role has always involved working closely with our trade partners, including the independent channel. That defi nitely won’t change. My new position as head of UK sales now encompasses leading sales, marketing and business growth across all B2C and B2B channels. In addition, I will be spearheading new


product development, including responsibility for the Humax product roadmap in the UK. I’m passionate about the Humax brand and am looking forward to expanding into a variety of new categories over the next year, as well as continuing the development of the Humax smart PVR and streaming device line-up – the category we’re best known for. Recently, I have become a member of the


Digital TV Group Council, which is central to driving digital TV innovation in the UK, and will put us at the forefront of TV and smart home developments going forward.


SK: Can you describe the recent UK sales and marketing restructure, and what that means for the independent channel? JS: Last month, our long-standing sales


representative, Meena Toor, moved on to a new role. Obviously, we were extremely sorry to lose her, but we wish her every success in her new job, of course. Since then, we are pleased to announce that Shobaz Malik has joined the team as our ‘independents champion’. Shobaz has more than 10 years’ sales


experience, and his new role as telesales executive will be completely focused on supporting the independent channel. Shobaz brings a wealth of expertise from his many years in the technology industry, and we would encourage our independent partners to contact him any time for help and support. He will be able to advise retailers on stock availability in these currently challenging times, which will be crucial in the pre-Christmas period. He will also keep them informed about new product launches and marketing campaigns.


‘‘ We defi nitely saw an upturn


in demand for PVRs and set- top boxes throughout the pandemic


Also in my team is Dru Patel, who has


been promoted to marketing manager. Dru joined Humax in 2016, with responsibility for implementing design best practice and transforming the Humax brand presence, and managing digital campaigns with major content partners such as Amazon, Disney and Google. In his new position, Dru will oversee marketing initiatives across all UK channels, including management of the company’s online strategy and user experience. Working


alongside Dru is our new recruit Laureta Graca, who has joined the team as marketing assistant from Hollister Co, assisting Dru in implementing and


18 | www.ierdaily.co.uk


L-R: James Sandison, Dru Patel, Shobaz Malik and Laureta Graca


communicating marketing campaigns. Laureta will be responsible for digital content creation, ensuring a more proactive and dynamic support function for our trade partners. With our new, strengthened team structure at Humax UK, I’m looking forward to continuing our successful sales and marketing strategy. I’ll be working closely with my sales and marketing colleagues to ensure that we are eff ectively communicating these plans to our highly- valued trade partners throughout the product lifecycle.


SK: The last couple of years have been extremely challenging for the consumer electronics industry. Can you give us some insights into how Humax is addressing the ongoing manufacturing and supply chain issues within the sector? JS: Like all CE manufacturers, we have been


November 2021


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