Audio over IP provider Barix has promoted Reto Brader to CEO, following a spell as VP of sales and marketing. The change in company leadership is in line with the availability of new products that Barix introduced in 2018, including its RetailPlayer platform for background music distribution.
The remaining Barix management team, which has worked together effectively for the past several years, will continue in their established roles with full support from Brader.
This includes company founder Johannes Rietschel as CTO, Joan Parrilla as VP Engineering, and Mario Almeida as VP Production. Rietschel founded Barix in 2001 upon anticipating the need to move audio and control signals over IP networks. The company has since shipped more than 450,000 Barix and private-labeled OEM hardware devices worldwide, and has more recently evolved into SaaS and managed services for business music and advertising distribution for retail, hospitality and other location-based businesses.
Before joining Barix, Brader held roles at HP, Pixelmetrix, Utah Scientific and Alcatel. He has a degree in Electronical Engineering and an MBA.
Recent company milestones for Barix include ISO 9001 certification for quality management systems, and the introduction of double-sourcing with a new manufacturing partner in Europe. The latter adds redundancy to the company’s global supply chain.
“It is now important that the entire company is focused on using market success of our new products to build on recent successes, and continue to drive global business growth,” says Brader.
Barix headquarters in Zurich remains the hub for further product development, marketing and support for its product line.
While Barix will continue to focus on its core markets, Rietschel and Brader’s leadership positions will play a central role in moving Barix forward into new areas of opportunity for IP audio and control solutions. Departing CEO Ivo Killer will leave Barix following a three-year tenure that laid the business foundation for Barix’s recent success.