SMPTE Membership Elects Richard Welsh

SMPTE®, the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has announced that Richard Welsh has been elected by its membership to serve as SMPTE president.

Welsh formally began his term on Jan. 1 after serving as SMPTE executive vice president. His term will extend two years to Dec. 31, 2026.

"I am honoured to have been elected SMPTE president, and I am excited to work with the whole SMPTE family worldwide in supporting progress across our industry,” said Welsh. “Since the Society’s inception more than 100 years ago, bringing the moving image to audiences worldwide has been at the heart of SMPTE's mission. With video devices in viewers’ pockets and content available to them on demand, SMPTE’s ongoing commitment to delivering the best possible integrity, quality, and experience in media to global audiences is more vital than ever. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity as SMPTE president to deliver on our vision for the media technology industries of unlimited creativity and experiences for everyone."

Welsh is currently the senior vice president of innovation at Deluxe. He has been on the SMPTE board for more than 10 years, most recently serving a two-year term as SMPTE executive vice president. He has also served as SMPTE’s vice president of education and as governor for EMEA, Central/South America. Welsh is also on the board of IBC and the chair/co-founder of the volumetric asset management company Volustor.

Welsh began his career at Dolby Laboratories as a film sound consultant, working his way up to director of digital cinema services in the 12 years he spent there. He later became the head of operations of Technicolor’s digital cinema, localisation, and sound services department. More recently, Welsh became an associate lecturer at Southampton Solent University while simultaneously co-founding Sundog Media Toolkit Ltd.

"Rich is an innovative thinker with bold plans for the future of the Society," said SMPTE executive director, Sally-Ann D'Amato. "His unwavering commitment to expanding SMPTE's impact on broader and more diverse audiences, along with his dedication to cultivating early-career professionals, is truly inspiring. We have a great partnership, and I look forward to collaborating with him as we turn his vision for SMPTE into reality."

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