1. THERE IS SOMETHING WONDERFUL ABOUT MEETING PEOPLE
with a genuine enthusiasm for what they do. The sense of
excitement and energy they can bring to a conversation is
infectious. Ten-minute chats turn into hour-long debates
and discussions go off on tangents as you explore new ideas
and possibilities.
This is clearly the case as Pro Audio Middle East sits down
with am randon for the rst time. t the time of our
interview, Mr Brandon is only a matter of weeks into his new
role as general manager of Dubai-based distributor GSL
Professional. Despite this, he comes across as relaxed about
the massive lifestyle change he has just undertaken to take on
the position, and keen to get started and make his mark on the
company. This being said, he doesn’t want to jump the gun, the
new GM is looking at the long-term.
‘When you come into a new role you have so many new ideas
and you want to throw them all on a piece of paper and start
underlining the ones that are the priorities saying “we can do
all these things”,’ begins Mr Brandon. ‘It’s good because there
is optimism in that, but there is a certain naivety too. You have
to realise wherever you are that if you say you are going to do
something, it isn’t going to happen overnight.’
This being said, the new GM is certain he can make a
difference at the distributor. ‘GSL are a successful company
and team, but there is a place for someone like me to come in
and see how things can be adjusted to best suit the market,’
he reasons. ‘ nything I’m trying to achieve is aimed at being
good for our owners and staff, but of course it has to be for the
client and the brands we represent as well. That’s my remit at
the top; to ensure that those four pillars are still standing in
any kind of change that I think is possible.’
For some, starting a new job can be intimidating. On top
of the new faces and names to learn, you have all the new
products and technologies to get to grips with. Fortunately
for Mr Brandon this is not the case. The main portfolio of
products for GSL comes from the Harman stable of brands,
the manufacturer from which the new GM joined. Equally,
his previous position at Harman in the UK saw him travel
extensively throughout the Middle East and frica, so he
already had an understanding of the culture and relationships
with the important players.
‘That was what made me want to come here in the rst place,’
he reveals. ‘There is so much potential in Dubai, not least with
a company like GSL. There is so much that can be done and
everything is very malleable.’
Even the jump from manufacturer to distributor is not new for
the GM. ‘I actually started working in distribution for Harman in
the UK doing pre- and post-sales support,’ he explains. ‘It was
an amazing place to learn.’
Starting his career at Harman UK then moving over when the
company was acquired by Sound Technology, he got an early
grounding in the technical side of the manufacturer’s products,
becoming as he puts it ‘fully Harmanised’. He quickly expanded
on this by moving to another UK-based company, Digital Village,
and providing project support to assist consultants with system
design.
Moving from the distributor to the manufacturer itself was
equally an important learning experience for Mr Brandon.
Having worked on the technical side of the industry, he
wanted to gain a grounding in some of the more commercial
aspects. ‘Being in an of ce with so many knowledgeable
industry veterans was a fantastic experience,’ he smiles. ‘It
was a really good environment to absorb the commercial side
of what we do.’
It’s clear that joining GSL at this stage of his career is
no accident. Mr Brandon is ambitious and has a plan for
succeeding in the industry. ‘To go somewhere in this industry,
I’ve always felt you needed to do marketing, sales and some
very advanced technical stuff including product development,’
he explains. ‘I’ve done the sales and the technical stuff for
a long time and in those roles the marketing side always
merges in.
‘The next stage is to bring those elements and bring that
same kind of all-encompassing role to different territories,’
continues Mr Brandon. ‘That was the main draw for me and
why I settled on the Middle East.’
But Mr Brandon insists that coming to the region was not
purely about building his V. s someone who is passionate
about the technology, another determining factor was the scale
and variety of projects he could get involved with in the U E. ‘You
look at the projects that are happening here against elsewhere,
every couple of days something mad comes in. In any industry,
you want to be involved in the most exciting and challenging
stuff, and some of the things I’ve seen out here are incredible. I
just want to be a part of that.
‘If you really do have a passion for this stuff, it’s not just about
the product, it’s the implementation in the environment,’ he
continues. ‘I’m 100 per cent passionate about electroacoustics:
any room I go into, I look at how it could sound better. It’s
not just about the brand, it’s about the best representation
of audio in that space. Being out here with GSL gives me the
best opportunity to be involved with that in some of the most
interesting and challenging spaces anywhere in the world.’
Mr Brandon’s enthusiasm for his new role is clear and
genuinely contagious. His passion for sound and his knowledge
make the conversation interesting and thought provoking. He
may be a newcomer to the region, but he is sure to settle in to
the local industry very quickly.
www.gslprofessional.com
Dubai-based Harman distributor GSL Professional has a
new role. Pro Audio Middle East sits down with Sam Brandon
20 PRO AUDIO MIDDLE EAST May–June 2015
Meet the new boss
NEWS: SPE I L EPO T
GSL general manager Sam Brandon
Inside GSL’s Deira showroom JBL speakers on show in the GSL showroom