PPDS (Philips) Makes Senior Management Changes; Defines Three Global Heads Of “Strategic Pillars”

May 9, 2022 by Dave Haynes

PPDS – the company that markets Philips digital signage, interactive displays, direct view LED and pro TV products and solutions – has announced a major management re-org just ahead of ISE, the big pro AV trade show this week in Barcelona.

General Manager Chris Colpaert has left PPDS after about four years, and three PPDS execs have had their roles more specifically defined.

The announcement is more than a bit clunky in the phrasing, but here’s how I decode it:

All three report up to Nico Vernieuwe, SVP at TPV, PPDS’ parent company.

Says the PR on the management changes:

This new leadership team has been structured to further accelerate the company in its 2020 – 2025 growth plan on a global level, designed around three strategic business pillars – Global Markets, Business Development and Marketing, and Product Management. The leadership trio have worked closely together in successfully overseeing PPDS’ most recent evolution, which includes a full-scale company rebrand and launch of a brand new market strategy in 2021.

Racapé, who joined the company in 2011, has played an instrumental role in PPDS’ commercial success in EMEA, including the roll out of its global partner programs and a growing number of successful customer support initiatives. Now, he will take the commercial lead for all international markets, with the exception of China, in order to mirror this momentum and lead the implementation of the new strategy on a global level.

Van der Woude joined PPDS at the beginning of 2019, and has been responsible, among other things, for the company’s continuously expanding direct view LED portfolio, as well as initiating and continually developing its sustainability roadmap. He will also expand into a newly created role, marrying business development and marketing on a global level, with a focus on end-to-end integration of the company’s dynamic go-to-market strategy.

Hsu, who has held the role of Head of Global Product Strategy since he joined PPDS in early 2020, will continue the expansion of the PPDS product and solution portfolio. This has seen the company grow from a traditional manufacturer of digital signage and professional TVs to include interactive and collaboration displays, signage TVs and DV LED in the past two years, as well as a soon-to-be-launched remote display management cloud platform.

Commenting on the new structure, Vernieuwe said: “Our success in the professional display industry is a cornerstone of our group’s development. The implementation of our new total solutions strategy, our global approach, and our sustainability programs are all key components. Deploying these seamlessly across all markets on a truly global basis is the real value add for our partners and their customers. I am delighted to announce our newly appointed leadership team in time for our customers, stakeholders, and the industry as a whole, to meet them and learn about our vision for the future, at ISE in Barcelona from 10-13 May, and at Infocomm in Las Vegas from 4-10 June.”

Racapé added: “PPDS continues to go from strength to strength in the market, and I’m honoured to have been entrusted, together with Martijn and Robert, to lead the company forward on a global scale. We have achieved so much in a relatively short period, and I believe we’re still only just getting started, with some incredibly opportunities ahead.”

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