As we turn the page to a new chapter in 2024, it's with mixed emotions that we bid farewell to a stalwart of the intercom industry, Simon Browne. After an illustrious 34-year career, Simon is retiring from Clear-Com, leaving behind a legacy of innovation, leadership, and tireless dedication to advancing communication solutions.
Simon's journey began in 1989 with Drake Electronics as a Project Engineer on the Drake audio consoles, and in 1990 he transitioned to intercom with Product Management responsibility following in 1998 under the Clear-Com banner within the Vitec ownership. From there, he played a pivotal role in shaping the Clear-Com's trajectory, overseeing the development and evolution of groundbreaking intercom systems.
One of the early milestones in Simon's career was the retirement of the Drake 4000 series II in favor of the technically advanced Clear-Com Eclipse series. This strategic decision marked a turning point, and Simon's instrumental role in transitioning larger customers to the new format showcased his visionary leadership.
Simon drove the PM team to engage with our expert partners and end-users, many of whom had a keen interest in intercom across a range of markets and platforms, wired and wireless. It was Simon’s engagement with European and US broadcasters that moulded the sucess of the Eclipse HX system. Our partners with Live market expertise drove the FreeSpeak II and HelixNet developments. Today the PM team continues to engage with strategic partners in shaping the intercom tools of tomorrow.
The year 2000 brought a game-changing moment with the launch of FreeSpeak (RoW) and Cellcom (US), the first roaming digital wireless intercoms in the market. This technology, based on DECT, revolutionized portable duplex intercom, offering seamless roaming over large areas without sacrificing audio quality.
Simon continued to drive innovation, introducing the IP based Concert desktop intercom, VoICE IP intercom, and the pioneering virtual intercom client, Soft-VoICE, in collaboration with Montreal-based Talk-Dynamics. These additions to Clear-Com's portfolio further solidified the company's position as an industry leader and pioneer in the evolving IP intercom.
In 2010, HME's acquisition of Clear-Com elevated the brand's global awareness, and Simon assumed the role of Director of Product Management with a portfolio that now included the HME Pro-Audio range of DX wireless. Under his leadership, Clear-Com expanded its offerings with the introduction of HelixNet in 2012, a digital partyline system providing many digital audio partyline channels over a single pair of audio cables.
Simon's tenure witnessed significant advancements, including the 2015 launch of Agent-IC®, a modern virtual intercom client, and the 2016 update of FreeSpeak® II, taking full advantage of technological shifts in the wireless landscape.
As the VP of Product Management from 2016 onwards, Simon played a pivotal role in the acquisition of Trilogy for Broadcast intercom, Test Signal Generation and distributed secure intercom for MAG. The company's commitment to staying at the forefront of technology was evident in the addition of 5GHz wireless in Edge in 2020 and the Arcadia Central Station in 2021.
Now, in 2024, as Simon embarks on a well-deserved retirement, Clear-Com stands at the forefront of intercom technology, thanks in no small part to his contributions. Simon's impact on the company's roadmap has been profound, and his passion, expertise, and dedication have left an indelible mark on the Clear-Com empire. “ I have been proud to have taken this journey with Clear-Com with its foundations in partyline and through its maturity of digital wired and wireless intercom to the leading global brand that it is today. I am especially thankful that I got to work and learn from a great team of passionate and professional people throughout the Clear-Com and HME empire.”
As we celebrate Simon Browne's remarkable career and bid him farewell, we also look forward to his initiated exciting developments that lie ahead for Clear-Com in 2024 and beyond. Simon, your journey has been an inspiration, and your legacy will undoubtedly resonate within the intercom industry for years to come. Cheers to a well-deserved retirement!