AVIA Appoints New Board Chair and Adds Two New Board Directors

Singapore, February 1, 2024 – A new chairman of the board of directors of the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) has been appointed and two new directors have joined the board. 

Phil Hardman	Shonali Bedi	Louis Boswell

Phil Hardman, Senior Vice President and General Manager of BBC Studios Asia, has been appointed as the new chairman following Clément Schwebig stepping down. Schwebig was previously President and Managing Director of Warner Bros. Discovery for India, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea, before moving on to be President, Western Europe & Africa.

Also joining the AVIA board this year are Emily Yri, Vice President, International Marketing, PubMatic, and Shonali Bedi, Head of Strategy, Partnerships & Insights, APAC, Warner Bros. Discovery.

Louis Boswell, CEO of AVIA, commented, “The board of AVIA and I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Clément Schwebig who chaired the Board for the last three years, taking over in the middle of a pandemic and helping steer the association to safety through those difficult times.  He was a strong and vocal advocate for the industry. The board and I are now looking forward to working with new Chairman – Phil Hardman, to help guide AVIA through what are clearly challenging times. Phil also has an energy and passion for the industry, and I am sure will make a significant contribution to developing the next chapter in the AVIA story.”

Phil Hardman added, “AVIA stands at the intersection of the diverse challenges and opportunities in the media industry across Asia bringing much needed insight, thought leadership and regulatory & anti-piracy initiatives that benefit its members. BBC Studios has been a long-term Patron Member of the association, and I am honoured to become chairman of AVIA at such an exciting and innovative time. I look forward to working closely with our board members and the AVIA leadership to help AVIA guide the industry through a time of such transformational change.”

With the two new additions to the board, AVIA now has four female board directors, or one third of the board. 

About the Asia Video Industry Association

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy through its Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and provides insight into the video industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

Board Directors are chosen from nominees among member companies and voted on at the Annual General Meeting of the Association.  The Board Chair is selected by the elected members of the Board.