Sarah Joyce is joining AVIXA next month as the association’s next chief global officer, replacing Terry Friesenborg, who will retire at the end of 2019.
Joyce comes to AVIXA after nearly 12 years at Electrosonic Ltd., most recently as managing director. She and Friesenborg will manage jointly AVIXA’s global operations for the remainder of the year.
“I am delighted to be joining AVIXA,” said Joyce in the AVIXA announcement. “I have long admired how the association has evolved and developed over the years, particularly in its expansion of member services and international growth.
“Around the world, the AV industry comprises many types of organizations delivering a variety of solutions and services; we are a broad and powerful community.
“I look forward to working with AVIXA’s talented staff and global partners to help our industry harness innovation, further encourage diversity, and grow the market for audiovisual experiences and the people who create them,” she said in the announcement.
What Sarah Joyce Will Do As Chief Global Officer
Joyce is the second high-profile addition to the AVIXA management team this year, joining Rochelle Richardson, who took over as senior VP of expositions and events last month.
She will oversee “all the association’s activities outside North America, including member services, education and certification delivery, standards adoption, government relations and expositions,” according to the AVIXA announcement.
Joyce will sit on the boards of Integrated Systems Events, InfoCommAsia Pte Ltd, and TecnoMultimedia InfoComm, as well as other regional operating units. She assumes is scheduled to start her new role May 6 and will be based near London.
International Growth of AVIXA
Friesenborg, who is retiring after more than 19 years in the role, has also served as managing director of InfoComm Asia since 2007, director of Integrated Systems Events since 2008 and director of TecnoMultimedia since 2012.
Joyce served on the AVIXA board of directors from 2013 to 2015. She organized the inaugural Women of InfoComm network breakfast at Integrated Systems Europe in 2015, helping to establish the AVIXA Women’s Council, which now supports more than 32 groups around the world. [related]
“Sarah has been part of the AV industry for 20 years,” said AVIXA CEO David Labuskes in the association announcement.
“I’ve seen first-hand her passion for the industry we serve, her leadership experience on a global stage and her direct knowledge of our many constituencies, from manufacturers, to integrators and distributors to end users.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have Sarah joining us as Chief Global Officer and leading our continued global expansion,” said Labuskes.
“I also want to thank Terry Friesenborg for his 40 years of commitment to pro AV and AV experiences, and for his two decades of service to AVIXA and InfoComm worldwide,” Labuskes said.
“Under Terry’s leadership, we have grown to be a true, global organization, with members in 80 countries and trade shows in 10 countries. AVIXA and the AV industry owe Terry Friesenborg an enormous debt of gratitude. I know that Sarah Joyce will build on Terry’s impressive legacy.”
