Go Back Stage with Rob Smith, HB Communications’ New EMEA Regional Manager

Rob Smith brings 25+ years dealing with customers’ needs in Europe, the Middle East and Asia to HB Communications new London office.

Leave a Comment

Rob Smith boasts more than 25 years in the AV integration business, including the past four years running the service business for Europe, the Middle East and Asia for CI’s 2014 Integrator of the Year, Electrosonic.

That experience was just part of the reason HB Communications brought in Smith as its new regional manager for Europe and the Middle East as part of its continued global push.

HB Communications recently opened an office in central London, and Smith, 51, will “oversee HB operations, clients, HB employees and partners throughout Europe and the Middle East” in his new role.

Smith and HB’s new office “will accelerate the ability of HB to deliver and support [its] clients’ business needs for advanced collaboration solutions throughout the region,” according to a press release from HB Communications announcing Smith’s hiring.

HB boasts 20 partners spanning 40 countries and a global managed services offering, but the U.K. office marks its first official foray outside North America.

“HB has been global for a long time, but there’s a center of gravity developing in England,” says Smith. “The clients we have in North America are global, multinational companies so we’re being driven to be a global company.”

Having an office in England is an important step in HB’s global progress, says Smith.

“Integrators can send a project team to anywhere in the world, but if you’re supporting a client’s operations, you have to be there from them all the time,” he says.

Smith says he won’t be surprised if HB opens more regional offices and hires others with similar titles to him around the world.

“As our customers need us and get more clusters, I fully expect there will be more people in similar roles,” he says.

Rob Smith and his family

Let’s go Back Stage and learn more about Rob Smith

Commercial Integrator: How did you get your start in the AV integration business?

Rob Smith: “I’ve been doing this since I left the Air Force in 1991. A friend of mine was having a great time doing it and I thought I’d give it a shot. I got a very wide experience at a small integrator [Integrated Circles, where he spent 17 years], so I’ve kind of come full circle now with this job at HB.”

CI: What are your favorite aspects of this industry?

Smith: “Every day is different. There’s a lot of travel, which I love. No two days are the same, which is really exciting and helps me to learn something new every day or new ways to do something.”

CI: How can your experience help HB take its next steps as a global company?

Smith: “I bring a breadth of experience in the industry, from service work to project work to engineering to sales, so I can be a good representative for all of HB’s offerings. We’ve seen our customers go from wanting one or two very expensive meeting rooms to having a number of collaboration spaces. That’s changed how the AV market offers support for its clients.”

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

About the Author

Contact:

Craig MacCormack is a veteran journalist who joined Security Sales & Integration in June 2023 as web editor. He is also the former executive editor of Commercial Integrator (2011-2021).

Commercial Integrator Magazine

Read More Articles Like This… With A FREE Subscription

Commercial Integrator is dedicated to addressing the technological and business needs of professional integrators who serve the small and midsize business market. Whether you design, sell, service, or install… work on offices, churches, hospitals, schools or restaurants, Commercial Integrator is the dedicated resource you need.

No Comments yet. Be the first to comment!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *