PPDS appoints Nick Begleries as new Commercial Vice President for North America

PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips digital signage, interactive displays, direct view LED and professional TV products and solutions, is excited to announce the appointment of highly experienced AV leader, Nick Begleries, as its new Commercial VP, North America.

Adding more than 25 years of top-level senior AV experience to the steadily expanding PPDS US team, Nick is one of the AV industry’s most accomplished talents in North America, heading up and guiding forward some of the world’s largest and most successful display manufacturers during an already illustrious career.

A recognized and respected leader, Nick’s specialist knowledge of the Pro AV market and proven management skills, backed by an impeccable track record delivering substantial and often record-breaking growth, made him a standout choice for this business-critical position.

Top three target

As Commercial Vice President, Nick will play a crucial role in PPDS’ accelerating phase of growth in the US, with the target of achieving the business’ ambitions to achieve a top three position in the North American marketplace.

Reporting to Franck Racapé, Head of Global Commercial at PPDS, Nick will be responsible for all aspects of PPDS’ North American business. This includes, but is not limited to, defining the mid- and long-term sales strategy for North America, setting and achieving quarterly sales targets, managing the supply chain, service and post-sales, and driving greater awareness of the PPDS brand and its solutions. Education, retail, hospitality, corporate, healthcare and transportation are among focus markets, with Philips Professional TVs, Interactive Displays, dvLED, Digital Signage and the company’s exclusive remote display management cloud platform, Wave, all key product categories.

Nick – will also oversee the company’s move into a new US head office and globally connected showroom, as well as executing plans to increase staff numbers by 50 per cent in 2023 in order to better support customers and enlarge reach across all verticals, leveraging on PPDS’ extensive product portfolio.

In addition to leading the North American team, Nick will work closely with the wider global organisation, using his knowledge and expertise to support senior management operating in the company’s other 158 regions.

Commenting on Nick’s appointment, Franck Racapé, said: “Our ambitions for Philips professional displays in the North American market are extremely high and we have been looking for a profile combining great industry knowledge, strong manufacturing experience across all our product categories (Digital Signage, Interactive, dvLED and Hospitality TV), who already has a track record of driving growth and developing an expanding team.

“Nick ticked all these boxes, and I am really pleased to start our collaboration, with extremely exciting times ahead. With Nick on board, we aim to accelerate our growth exponentially in what will be our most strategic growth region for the coming 2-3 years.”

Primed for growth

As part of the business’ ‘hyper growth phase’ in North America (first announced in June, 2022), PPDS US is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of the TPV Group – the world’s largest manufacturer of LCD displays – with the North American business becoming fully aligned with PPDS’ wider global operations – many of which have seen Philips professional displays become a market leader.

One of the most important strategic shifts in the US arm of the company’s history, the move has unlocked immeasurable benefits and opportunities for its partners and customers in North America, adding more choice, consistency, and unrivalled partner support for projects on both a local and global scale. This has seen PPDS US being able to utilize the full manufacturing strengths and resources enjoyed by teams across PPDS’ other international markets, including priority access to core components and materials for manufacturing continuity, and end-to-end supply chain systems enabling full control and monitoring of logistics streams.

“A disruptive force”

Nick hailed the company’s “unrivalled global strengths and capabilities, its market ambitions and, above all, the current and future portfolio of dedicated solutions,” among the reasons for choosing PPDS as the perfect destination for the next phase of his career:

“I feel that all my previous experience has led me to this position, and I am incredibly motivated and excited about what we can go on to achieve in North America. PPDS has demonstrated a strong understanding of market direction and what Pro AV integrators and end users need from a manufacturer. As a result, PPDS has already proven to be a highly disruptive force in North America and in the wider global market, bringing truly world-leading, uniquely innovative solutions to the market, when the market needs them. With TPV, R&D and resources are unparalleled, all of which provide incredible benefits to customers from the initial tender process to post-installation support.”

He continued: “I’m honored to become part of the PPDS journey and to be entrusted with leading the North American business to even greater heights.”