Working at Nevion – Q&A with Martin Walbum

Meet Martin Walbum, Senior Vice President of Solution Strategy at Nevion, based in Denmark

Welcome to our newest series of Q&A with the Architects! At Nevion, we’re proud of our people and we have built up a great global team of professionals, with knowledge and expertise in broadcasting, telecoms, IT, hardware, software, baseband and IP network technology.

In this new series, we wanted to give you the chance to get to know some of our Architects personally.

What attracted you to join Nevion as part of your career journey and what is your current role?

The chance to join Nevion enabled me to apply my skills in working on IP technologies. I’ve been involved in the delivery of IP network systems previously, both at enterprise and telecom operator level since the 1990s, and actually worked for the vendor that developed the first IP network switch!

Since then I’ve seen IP move into everything from mobile networks to home internet, and it’s great to see that the broadcast industry has now gone the same way. I currently head up the global Solution Architects team at Nevion, helping the sales team design complex IP-based solutions for both broadcasters and telecoms operators.

How has your role progressed whilst you’ve been at Nevion?

I actually started as an Account Director at Nevion before moving into a few different roles and then joining the technical pre-sales team. I then shifted into a Solution Architect role before becoming head of the global team two years ago. It’s been varied but a great experience at every stage.

How would you describe your role at Nevion in just three words?

Exciting, pioneering and creative. It’s exciting to be involved in the cutting-edge of technology and implementing pioneering solutions that truly make a difference. I enjoy the creative side of understanding and applying new solutions, discovering new ways for successful integration to benefit our customers.

What interested you about working in the broadcast industry?

I was first attracted to join the industry due to my background in IP, and I was excited by how the technology was developing in the broadcasting space. Before, my work was always hard to explain to friends and family, but now, I love the fact that I can say I work on helping to bring large scale events such as the Olympics, World Cup football and presidential inaugurations to screens and devices around the globe.

Can you tell us about a project you have worked on during your time at Nevion that you are most proud of?

There’s a few in particular that spring to mind. I was involved in a multi-country project with the Discovery network, helping to develop and improve their services such as Eurosport, its pan-European sports network. I was also heavily involved in bringing IP technologies and providing knowledge to SRG, the Swiss public broadcasting association following their migration to a new building in Zurich. We achieved a few industry firsts just in that building alone.

Most recently, I’ve played a big part in SRG’s Orion project, which is a nationwide initiative that connects regional studios with sports stadiums to create a larger production network. This network is also an industry first, and I’ve been involved with it for the last 4-5 years.

What is your favorite thing about working for Nevion?

For me, it’s working with a group of very enthusiastic and intelligent individuals that truly understand our business and the technology we utilize. It’s a mixed group in terms of skills and knowledge, which creates a great dynamic that encourages everyone to contribute, as everyone can provide useful input to benefit the wider team. Whilst our focus is on business and innovation, Nevion is also an organization where everyone cares for each other and the mental health of our colleagues is prioritized. Personally, I find this to be one of the organization’s biggest strengths.

What new innovation excites you the most in the broadcasting world?

The future of broadcasting will most certainly be powered by the growth of IP and cloud technologies, but I think that the driver behind it all will be the rapid development of the telecoms industry, which is helping to facilitate the sharing of resources between locations. This presents a huge number of possibilities for the broadcast industry. This development can ultimately change how live-production and post-production can be completed, helping to streamline workflows and assisting professionals in the industry to refocus their priorities.

Leading on from this is a great number of opportunities for people in the broadcast industry to achieve a better work-life balance. This has also been highlighted by the increase in remote production during the last year, and it’s been the small benefits that people have noticed during this time that have ultimately had the biggest impact.