Working at Nevion – Q&A with Rajiv Thapar
Meet Rajiv Thapar, VP Sales EMEA, based in Norway.
In the newest edition of our ‘Meet our people’ series, we spoke with Rajiv Thapar, VP Sales EMEA at Nevion. Rajiv’s Nevion journey began when the company he helped build, T-VIPS, merged with Nevion in 2013. Rajiv discusses what first attracted him to the broadcast industry in 1996, his pride at the groundbreaking IP project for TV 2 Norway in 2017 and the sector’s shift to software.
What attracted you to join Nevion as part of your career journey and what is your role there now?
I was one of the founders of T-VIPS, which specialized in the real-time transport of high-quality professional video and audio over IP wide area networks before it merged with Nevion in 2013. The merger made perfect sense, bringing together two Norwegian companies that were geographically close and shared complementary solutions. I’m now VP Sales across Europe, Middle East and India, covering a large team over those regions.
How has your role progressed whilst you’ve been at Nevion?
Since the merger, I’ve held a few different roles. I started as the Sales Director for the Nordics, I then became Head of Digital Terrestrial Sales and later, VP Sales LATAM, with my remit being recently extended across Europe, Middle East and India. It’s given me the opportunity to work across a lot of different markets and segments over the years.
What three words would you use to describe Nevion?
The first word I would use is ‘exciting’. We get to bring next-generation televisual experiences to viewers’ homes. I’d also say that it’s a very dynamic industry, so ‘dynamic’ is my second word. What we worked on just a few years ago is not the same as what we work on today. It’s always changing and we have to be agile and flexible to adapt to those changes. I’d also say that it’s a ‘challenging’ industry. You need to be ready for the next shift all the time. When I look back over my 30 years in the sector, everything has moved from hardware to software and the way we watch content has shifted from TVs to mobile devices.
What interested you about working in the broadcast industry?
A big draw for me back when I started in the industry in 1996 was the international aspect. I loved learning about other cultures and meeting people from around the world. It was such a great experience for a young person just starting out, and it’s exactly why I have stayed in the industry to this day.
Can you tell us about a project you have worked on during your time at Nevion that you are most proud of?
It’s difficult to single one out because there have been so many good projects, but two really memorable ones included the digital terrestrial switchover in the UK with Arqiva, where my fantastic colleagues played a key role in its success, and our groundbreaking IP project with TV 2 in Norway. With the TV 2 project, I was involved in the first IP facility in the broadcast domain, and it caught so much attention worldwide that the company received visitors from around the world who wanted to see it in action. That project in 2017 put Nevion on the map as the leader in IP. It was truly unheard of at that point. Now, TV 2 has switched from a hybrid setup to fully IP.
What is your favorite thing about working for Nevion?
I work with great colleagues. They are helpful, supportive and it feels like I’m part of a family. I’m proud to say that I enjoy working here because it’s such a supportive environment. I think what’s also great is the ability for us to talk to each other and complete projects remotely, a shift that accelerated during the pandemic.
What new technology/ innovation excites you the most in the broadcasting world?
Everything has changed to software; that’s been a major shift over the years. When I joined the industry, it was MPEG-2, then it was MPEG-4, then JPEG and now the wholesale move to IP. This is where I see the future going as well: defined by new software innovations and more cloud-based solutions. It’s a big change so for some it might seem a bit daunting, but it’s definitely exciting as well!
