Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

SVG Sit Down: NEP Europe President Lise Heidal on Staying Close to Clients and Investing Wisely

13/05/2024

Interview: NEP Europe president Lise Heidal on staying close to clients and investing wisely By George Bevir

Friday, May 10, 2024 - 09:47

Print This Story

NEP at the 2024 Grand National with UK broadcaster ITV

Lise Heidal stepped into her role as president of NEP Europe 1 April, her appointment part of a reshuffle of NEP's European leadership team that includes Christer P lsson named chief commercial officer for Europe and Jose Teixeira joining NEP a few days after Heidal, as president for NEP Nordics, Central & Southern Europe. Meanwhile, Arjan van Westerloo and Steve Jenkins are continuing in their roles as president, NEP The Netherlands, and president, NEP UK & Ireland, respectively.

The reason, said global president of NEP Broadcast Services Mike Werteen when the appointments were announced, was to combine NEP's UK and European businesses under a single leadership team, with Heidal tasked with harnessing all of the talent, synergies, sales and employee career opportunities across these important markets .

Lise Heidal: Appointed president of NEP Europe on 1 April

Based in Norway, Heidal leads the strategic direction, priorities, and focus for some 11 countries, spanning the Nordics, Southern and Mid-Europe, as well as the Netherlands, UK, and Ireland.

Speaking with SVG Europe at NAB 2024, she picks up on Werteen's comments and explains that her priority is to focus on identifying synergies in these markets.

She says: It is essential for us to always seek improved ways of enhancing internal collaboration, both in terms of sharing our skill sets and utilising our technical capabilities. While we are already managing resources effectively, we will further intensify these efforts.

Additionally, we will explore growth opportunities within these countries and beyond. The industry has experienced significant instability in recent years, and NEP has remained a constant during these times. We are committed to maintaining this stability, ensuring continued support and development for our clients, employees, and the industry as a whole.

Heidal's new role means a return to an organisation she is already very familiar with; she held the role of managing director of NEP Norway in 2010 when it operated under the name Mediatec, before its acquisition by NEP Group in 2015. Prior to this she spent 15 years in the consulting and telecom industries at Accenture and Telenor. Immediately before her return to NEP she spent two and a half years at TV 2, Norway's largest commercial broadcaster which she says provided valuable insights from the broadcaster customer's perspective.

Broadcasters, rights holders, and OTT-providers are facing a tough competitive environment, with new players entering, new viewing habits and a continuously growing volume of content offered to the audience. They need to be as efficient as possible, and at the same time produce not only more content, but also more relevant content

Transitioning between industries has allowed me to observe that regardless of sector, similar challenges and opportunities arise when working with people. Great teams, built on trust, honesty, openness, and constructive dialogue with a strong commitment to joint goals leads to stronger collaboration and achievement of results. And, it is so much more fun when we as co-workers dare to be honest and open and challenge each other.

Having only been in role for a couple of weeks when she spoke with SVG Europe, Heidal says it's too early to say whether she'll make further changes to the teams she is now leading.

Watch Interview with NEP group CEO Martin Stewart on the need to think globally

We are constantly evolving our strategy according to market developments, opportunities and the rise of new technologies. It is then necessary to look at which roles and skills are needed to fulfill that strategy. This involves assessing the current roles and skills within our teams and identifying any gaps that need to be addressed through, for example, training, upskilling, reskilling, or organising differently.

I'm inheriting an amazing team of world-class engineers, technical and market experts, and talented support staff. We will continue to develop ourselves in accordance with market needs and technological advancements, and provide a positive learning environment for all to thrive in.

European opportunities

Earlier this year, SVG Europe wrote about how NEP Germany has been providing production support for the nascent sports streaming service Dyn Media, employing a hybrid' approach of remote and decentralised production for coverage of a mixture of different tiers of sports for the platform which is dedicated to underserved sports.

Its work with Dyn provides a good example of the requirement for production services and outside broadcast providers like NEP to be able to provide a range of solutions that fit the needs - and budgets - of a vast range of clients.

We have handled the broad range for many years, so our operations have full control over this. It also provides us with real opportunity for innovation, extracting and applying knowledge from both small scale and premium productions. This perspective shows us how to use smarter processes, solutions and efficient ways of working across the whole range, says Heidal.

Converted VW Crafters with a core rack in a flight case with three stage boxes

What that means for NEP's technology plans, says Heidal, is the need to invest where the market needs us , from flypacks to fullscale OB trucks in addition to a continued expansion of NEP's connected production ecosystem.

She says: We are also delivering, developing and investing in our own software solutions such as TFC (NEP's proprietary broadcast control platform) and Mediabank, in various graphics and VR/AR solutions, as well as in
LINK: https://www.svgeurope.org/blog/headlines/interview-nep-europe-presiden...
See more stories from svg

More from Sports Video Group

02/07/2025

World RX of Sweden: Aurora's Matt Beal on Taking Up the Broadcast Reins Alongside the FIA

Progressive realism: Aurora on taking up the broadcast reins for World RX alongs...

02/07/2025

World RX of Sweden: Getting the Production Together With NEP Finland, Cloudbass Graphics

Great speed: New host broadcaster Aurora on getting the World RX 2025 season pro...

02/07/2025

World RX of Sweden: Host Broadcaster Aurora Looks Ahead to This Weekend's Second Race of the Season in Hljes

Seat of its pants: Aurora boxes clever and looks ahead for the FIA as new host b...

02/07/2025

UEFA Women's Euro 2025: EBU, BBC Sport, Sunset+Vine Talk Coverage Plans, Distribution and Maintaining Momentum

UEFA Women's Euro 2025: EBU, BBC Sport and Sunset Vine talk coverage plans, ...

02/07/2025

UEFA Women's Euro 2025: Women's Super League Launches New Content Series to Support Teams, Players Over Summer of Football

UEFA Women's Euro 2025: Women's Super League launches new content series...

02/07/2025

UEFA Women's Euro 2025: Ignite Puts Fans, Players Front and Center With Title Sequence for ITV

UEFA Women's Euro 2025: Ignite puts fans and players front and centre with t...

02/07/2025

Storytelling in the Live Game Broadcast: ESPN Director Jimmy Platt Breaks Down the Craft

Storytelling in the Live Game Broadcast: ESPN Director Jimmy Platt Breaks Down t...

02/07/2025

CONCACAF's Miguel Angel Garcia on the Gold Cup's Enhanced 2025 Production Plan

CONCACAF's Miguel Angel Garcia on the Gold Cup's Enhanced 2025 Productio...

01/07/2025

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Spyrosoft's Jonathan Witty on Futher Business Expansion in the U.S.

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Spyrosoft's Jonathan Witty on Futher Business Exp...

01/07/2025

The NIL Effect: How the Shifting Business of College Athletics Impacts On-Campus Video Production

The NIL Effect: How the Shifting Business of College Athletics Impacts On-Campus...

01/07/2025

Cherry On the Cake: Inside the Technical Production of the Tour de France 2025 with EMG / Gravity Media

Cherry on the cake: Inside the technical production of the Tour de France 2025 w...

01/07/2025

NESN's Josh Jun on Keeping Alternative Broadcasts Fresh for Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins Fans

NESN's Josh Jun on Keeping Alternative Broadcasts Fresh for Boston Red Sox, ...

01/07/2025

TNT Sports Races Back Into NASCAR With Fresh Look, Familiar Edge

TNT Sports Races Back Into NASCAR With Fresh Look, Familiar Edge Production approach emphasizes creative freedom, bold storytelling, casual-fan-friendly tone B...

27/06/2025

How Smarter Video Compression is Creating a Sustainable Future

How smarter compression is creating a sustainable future By Michael Burns Monday, June 23, 2025 - 14:13 Print This Story Live sport is especially vulnerab...

27/06/2025

RTL Group To Acquire Sky Deutschland

RTL Group To Acquire Sky Deutschland By George Bevir, Editorial Director, SVG Europe Friday, June 27, 2025 - 8:00 am Print This Story | Subscribe Story ...

27/06/2025

Frictionless, At Scale: The Current State of Live Video Streaming Techology

Frictionless, At Scale: The Current State of Live Video Streaming Techology Leaders from Bitmovin, Comcast Technology Solutions, Harmonic, IMAX, and Phenix brea...

27/06/2025

Marquee Sports Network's Nick Steger on Meeting the Moment of the Contending Chicago Cubs

Marquee Sports Network's Nick Steger on Meeting the Moment of the Contending...

27/06/2025

NHL Draft 2025: The League Is Primed for First Decentralized Draft in Non-Pandemic Era

NHL Draft 2025: The League Is Primed for First Decentralized Draft in Non-Pandem...

26/06/2025

10th-Annual SVG Regional Sports Production Summit Presents Useful Roadmap for the Future of the RSN, Local Media Business

10th-Annual SVG Regional Sports Production Summit Presents Useful Roadmap for th...

26/06/2025

The Big Cloud Debate: Public vs. Private vs. Hybrid

The Big Cloud Debate: Public vs. Private vs. Hybrid Tech leaders from CineSys, Diversified, and Net Insight breaks down all flavors of cloud By Jason Dachman, ...

26/06/2025

Program Productions' Jess Kowatch on Training the Next and Current Generation of Sports TV Technicians

Program Productions' Jess Kowatch on Training the Next and Current Gener...

25/06/2025

SVG College Summit 2025: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG College Summit 2025: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY Tackling the latest in college sports video: NIL, live production, virtual productio...

25/06/2025

ESPN Is Set To Bring AR Graphics to Wimbledon, Revamps Bunker and Studio 18 VO Booths

ESPN Is Set To Bring AR Graphics to Wimbledon, Revamps Bunker and Studio 18 VO B...

24/06/2025

2025 NBA Draft: ABC/ESPN Prepares for Two-Day Draft at Barclays Center

2025 NBA Draft: ABC/ESPN Prepares for Two-Day Draft at Barclays Center Partners Game Creek Video, CP Communications, NEP Specialty Capture will be on hand By M...

24/06/2025

Cloud Broadcast Tech Update: Google Cloud's Jane Day on the Impact of AI on Sports

Cloud Broadcast Tech Update: Google Cloud's Jane Day on the Impact of AI on ...

24/06/2025

Cloud Broadcast Tech Update: AWS's Dana LaGattuta on Data-Driven Innovation in Sports

Cloud Broadcast Tech Update: AWS's Dana LaGattuta on Data-Driven Innovation ...

24/06/2025

British & Irish Lions Men's Tour: Dublin Opener Sees Sky Sports Take Remote Route

Lions live: Dublin opener sees Sky Sports take remote route By Fergal Ringrose ...

24/06/2025

British & Irish Lions Men's Tour: Pumas Maul Lions as S4C and TG4 Deliver First-Ever Joint Host in Dublin

Pumas maul Lions as S4C and TG4 deliver first-ever joint host in Dublin By Ferg...

24/06/2025

ABC/ESPN Prepares for 2025 NBA Draft, the First at Barclays Center

ABC/ESPN Prepares for 2025 NBA Draft, the First at Barclays Center Partners Game Creek Video, CP Communications, NEP Specialty Capture will be on hand By Mark ...

23/06/2025

Adventures in Live Cloud Production: Stories From the Trenches with MLB, NHL, NBC Sports, Warner Bros. Discovery, and AWS

Adventures in Live Cloud Production: Stories From the Trenches with MLB, NHL, NB...

23/06/2025

Finding the Edge: How Badger & Combes Produces Live-Streamed Coverage of County Cricket for LancsTV

Finding the edge: How Badger & Combes produces live-streamed coverage of county ...

23/06/2025

Masters of Madness: New Football Format Shakes Up the Rules of Sportainment

Masters of Madness: New football format shakes up the rules of sportainment By Adrian Pennington Monday, June 16, 2025 - 11:38 Print This Story The ball i...

23/06/2025

New State-of-the-Art Mountain Media Center Launches in Former Starz Encore Building Near Denver

New State-of-the-Art Mountain Media Center Launches in Former Starz Encore Build...

23/06/2025

ESPN Says Goodbye to Seaport Studios, Hello to New State-of-the-Art Production Facility at Disney's 7 Hudson Square

ESPN Says Goodbye to Seaport Studios, Hello to New State-of-the-Art Production F...

20/06/2025

A True Test? Cricket's Growth on the Global Stage and the Role Broadcast Can Play

A True Test? Cricket's Growth on the Global Stage and the Role Broadcast Can...

20/06/2025

Sky Sports Goes Large for the British & Irish Lions Tour with AR Graphics, UHD and a Pop Up Channel

Sky Sports goes large for the British & Irish Lions Tour with AR graphics, UHD a...

20/06/2025

ESPN's Men's College World Series Finals Coverage Combines Innovation, Legacy

ESPN's Men's College World Series Finals Coverage Combines Innovation, L...

19/06/2025

SVG Rewind: PGA Tour Introduces Drone AR Smart Tracing, Reflects on Winning George Wensel Technical Achievement Award

SVG Rewind: PGA Tour Introduces Drone AR Smart Tracing, Reflects on Winning Geor...

18/06/2025

Technology Focus: Fan Expectations Drive Advances in the In-Stadium Experience

Technology focus: Fan expectations drive advances in the in-stadium experience By Jo Ruddock Tuesday, June 3, 2025 - 08:36 Print This Story For years, att...

18/06/2025

Making Connections: How Stadiums Are Meeting the Ever-Growing Demand for Data and Connectivity

Making connections: How stadiums are meeting the ever-growing demand for data an...

18/06/2025

SVG Venues & Teams Summit Keynote: RWS Global Powers the Stadium Environment at 2024 Paris Olympics

SVG Venues & Teams Summit Keynote: RWS Global Powers the Stadium Environment at ...

18/06/2025

SVG Rewind: Behind the Scenes of Producing Tottenham Hotspur's Europa League Victory Parade

SVG Rewind: Behind the Scenes of Producing Tottenham Hotspur's Europa League...

17/06/2025

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Mercury Intermedia's Tom Richardson, Mike Ligon on Powering DTC Streams for Teams Reclaiming Media Rights

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Mercury Intermedia's Tom Richardson, Mike Ligon o...

17/06/2025

Total Sports Performance from Relo Metrics, VideoAmp, Offers Next-Level Media, Brand Measurement

Total Sports Performance from Relo Metrics, VideoAmp, Offers Next-Level Media, B...

17/06/2025

From Stage to Stream: Producing Live Esports Events in 2025

From Stage to Stream: Producing Live Esports Events in 2025 Leaders from ESL FACEIT Group, Riot Games, and more break down the latest trends By Jason Dachman, ...

17/06/2025

Inside FIFA 2025 Club World Cup Operations With FIFA's Oscar Sanchez, HBS's Stefan Wistuba

Inside FIFA 2025 Club World Cup Operations With FIFA's Oscar Sanchez, HBS...

17/06/2025

Production Ambitions: Over Exposed on Making the National League Promotion Final for DAZN as Spectacular as Possible

Production ambitions: Over Exposed on making the National League Promotion Final...