11 QUESTIONS With Siamak Naghian
Managing Director, Genelec Oy
Siamak Naghian, Managing Director, Genelec Oy
Siamak Naghian, Managing Director, Genelec
Oy, isn't just an iconic individual with an
iconic role for an iconic brand - his journey
at Genelec is marked with cultural and
artistic resonance, a deep affinity towards the
creation of true sound, and a desire to make
the world experience the richness that true
sound can deliver. In PALM Magazine's '11
Questions', Siamak Naghian shares insights
into his journey with Genelec, the pivotal role
sustainability plays in the brand's core values,
and the legendary pro audio brand's growth
trajectory for the Indian market.
1. How did your journey begin with
Genelec?
It was just a great accident, one of the best
in my life. I was working at Nokia in Finland
when I learned that Genelec co-founder Topi
Partanen - who was leading the R&D team
- was about to retire. So I joined Genelec as
R&D Director in 2005.
2. How would you describe your day-to-day
responsibilities at Genelec as the company's
Managing Director?
While a company's MD is responsible for
whatever the company does, at Genelec we
have a very flat organisational structure and
a great culture of creating new innovations
together. So, the most important part of my
daily job is to help people to flourish, learn,
and grow.
3. You once mentioned, "The value of the
brand [Genelec] is many times bigger than
the turnover." Can you elaborate on some
key values that set Genelec apart from its
competitors in the industry?
Unfortunately, the tangible values found on
income statements, balance sheets and so on
are too often the main criteria in assessing
the value of a company. However, the most
important company asset is what is in the
mind of its users, people, and partners. For
more than four decades, Genelec has built
a reputation of being an innovation leader
within our own very specialised industry and
community. We have kept on inspiring users
by focusing consistently on the essence of sound and how it's monitored, creating new
solutions based on long-term research and
development work.
4. In terms of research and development,
what have been the three major milestones
in Genelec's 45-year trajectory in terms of
studio sound?
The first was undoubtedly the 1031 two-way nearfield monitor, which back in the 90s really
set the standard for compact active studio
monitors for years to come. The second was
our Smart Active Monitoring family, which in
2006 brought DSP and auto-calibration into
the mainstream and has paved the way for
our new UNIO platform, and more recently
'The Ones' series of coaxial point source
monitors have raised the performance bar
even higher.
5. How does Genelec ensure sustainability
in its product design?
Sustainability has been an essential part
of Genelec right from its birth in 1978,
because the founders of the company grew
up and lived in the countryside, surrounded
by nature. Their principle was simple: nature
can live without us, but we can't live without
nature. So, we should respect nature and take
care of our planet. This philosophy was later
officially written into our company strategy
by stating that "sustainability is as important
as audio quality and profitability," and this
principle is evident in all the models that we
have designed and manufactured since 1987.
Even the S30, our very first loudspeaker, is still
in daily use around the world. This is quite an
achievement, of which we are very proud! In
essence, every Genelec design process focuses
on sustainability as one of the key starting
points and requirements.
6. How important is the Indian market in
the Genelec scheme?
Genelec has already been present in India
for many years since the country has such an important role in both music and film
production. As music production technologies
become more democratised and widespread,
we believe that developing societies like India
- with its rich musical culture and young
educated generation - will play a key role in
the future of the audio industry. So, we'd like
to play a part in this development and try and
contribute to it.
7. What traction and leverage (in
product and technology, sales and brand
supremacy) does Genelec envision from
Indian market?
We believe that India has the potential to
become one of the top countries in our future
roadmap, and our clear intention is to be the
most highly desired studio monitor brand in
the country.
8. What role do Genelec's distributors
and dealer channels in India play in this
regard?
With many decades of experience in global
co-operation and success, we have learned that
nothing can be achieved without a professional
and reliable network of distributors and dealers
who are passionately committed to audio and
the search for excellence. We believe this is
valid both now and in the future.
9. In your opinion, what are some of
the key differentiating factors that make the pro audio market in India valuable to
Genelec?
These factors would include a long tradition
in music and film production, a new and
growing generation of audio professionals and
creators, India's continuous development as a
society, and it's wonderfully rich and diverse
culture.
10. What trends or technologies do you see
emerging in India in the next five years
and what is Genelec's strategy to capitalize
on the same?
We think that monitoring technology will
continue based on its current foundations, but
the role of software and digital technology will
continue to grow. This will create even easier
access to music and content production for a
wide number of users in the future, and our
intent is simply to be part of this development
by strengthening our presence in India.
11. Genelec recently announced its
partnership with the Indian Recording Arts
Academy Awards (IRAA). Can you elucidate
how this strategic step ties into Genelec's
long-standing association with the music
recording, mastering, and postproduction
industry in India, as well as the company's
roadmap in increasing its international
expansion in the Indian market?
Recording, mixing, mastering and
postproduction have been a focus for Genelec
for decades, and this will remain our strategic
focus in the future. So, we see a perfect match
between our heritage and future strategy, and
the role of the IRAA. We strongly believe that
our partnership with IRAA is the perfect way
to contribute to the development of the audio
community in India, helping to inspire and
encourage the next generation as they start
shaping the future of art and sound.