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Software development veteran Rashid Desai has been named sr. VP and chief technology officer of Avid. A key member of Avid’s executive leadership team, Desai will tap into more than 20 years of experience to further execute the company’s strategic vision, Avid Everywhere.

Reporting directly to Avid chairman, president and CEO Louis Hernandez, Jr., Desai will be responsible for leading all of Avid’s technology teams, including software and hardware engineering and information and technology. He will spearhead the development of innovative applications for the Avid MediaCentral Platform to help media organizations and creative professionals make content creation and distribution more efficient, powerful, and collaborative.

“With 20 years’ technology leadership experience, Rashid brings a strong track record for leading and transforming global technology teams,” said Hernandez. “Having worked with Rashid at Open Solutions, I’m confident that his experience developing platforms that scale to global levels will help us drive Avid Everywhere forward.”

Desai joins Avid from Barclaycard, where he held managing director, chief information officer and chief technology officer roles. He was responsible for the company’s U.S. technology strategy and capabilities, and successfully led a multi-year transformation of the business, with an emphasis on secure cloud-based technologies using agile development and lean operations.

Earlier in his career, Desai held technology leadership positions at Equifax, where he drove the development of an enterprise customer management platform, oversaw the innovation of a scalable global internet commerce platform, and strengthened and simplified the company’s infrastructure. He is also a board member at Zip Code Wilmington, Delaware’s first coding school, preparing the next generation of software development professionals.

“My key objective is to drive the development of innovative solutions that solve the media industry’s most critical challenges,” Desai said. “I am proud to be part of a global team that is so committed to innovation and customer success, and I look forward to playing a key role in fulfilling the Avid Everywhere vision.”

Desai completes Avid’s executive leadership team with the recent appointments of Warner Bros. alum and technology leader Kyle Kim-Hays as chief marketing officer, former Orad executive Ilan Sidi as the VP of human resources, and the promotion of Avid veteran Dana Ruzicka to chief product officer.

Industry veteran Luc Comeau has joined Levels Beyond where he will lead business development efforts for the company. Levels Beyond, creators of Reach Engine--a software platform providing streamlined media management, distribution, optimization and monetization capabilities--continues to expand operations, product offerings and its global client base. Comeau brings over 25 years of experience in facilitating solutions for clients in the broadcast and media communities to his new role as VP of sales for Levels Beyond.

Comeau began his career in the audio recording industry as a product specialist and subject matter expert in digital audio and broadcast media. He then built on his understanding of workflow and developed an expertise in the entire content pipeline for broadcasters and large scale projects at Dalet Digital Media Systems. In his role as sr. business development manager, North America, he was instrumental in developing key markets in the digital media industry and collaborated with development teams to create solutions for a number of the most recognized companies and broadcasters in the world.

Comeau will be based in Levels Beyond’s Denver headquarters. Reach Engine, Levels Beyond’s media inventory platform, serves a number of content creation and distribution businesses, including advertising, sports, media and entertainment, and publishing.  Their diverse client list includes The New York Times, The Mill UK, Sundance Institute, BBC Studios and Post Production, M&C Saatchi, and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Vidcheck has promoted Howard Twine to chief operating officer in addition to his ongoing position as product manager. Working alongside CEO Thomas Dove and colleagues, he will be responsible for the company’s day-to-day activity and for supervising ongoing business development.

According to Dove, in his expanded role as COO, Twine will assist in the launch of Vidcheck’s OPEX-based “OnDemand” Automated Quality Control services at the International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam.”

Twine joined GEC Marconi Avionics in 1985, progressing in 1996 to Channel 11 Television as engineer and sr. technical operator. His subsequent career path included management roles at Leitch Technology, Edifis, TransMedia Dynamics and Pro-Bel. In 2014 he joined Vidcheck from Editshare where he was worldwide product manager.

Vidcheck supplies class-leading software for automated quality control and automated correction of file-based media. Vidcheck personnel is experienced in the QC of file-based video, having been closely involved in this market from the start.

Vidcheck’s software comprises award-winning packages for automated quality control of video and audio media. These provide a comprehensive check of the overall file, video and audio parameters and perform intelligent correction of most common errors that can occur in the signal stream.

Currently used by most major broadcasters and content distributors, archive organizations and postproduction companies, Vidchecker and Vidfixer focus on checking the parameters and settings that people typically get wrong in preparation and exchange of file-based media between postproduction, distribution and broadcast.

Using the latest technology, Vidcheck software automatically takes advantage of multi-core and multi-thread processors to process multiple files simultaneously and quickly.

Some 1,500 companies and over 250,000 people are expected to visit Europe's flagship technology show, the IFA in Berlin, when it opens to the public on Friday.

The event, which runs through Sept. 9, will showcase a range of new mobile handsets that will hit stores just in time for the holiday shopping season.

Beyond phones, the event will see technological innovations applied to all aspects of life, from Internet-connected kitchen appliances to rollable keyboards.

Here are five things to look out for at the show.

SONY SMARTPHONE
The Japanese electronics giant is expected to release three new models for its Xperia smartphone line.

The Z5 will come in several variants: a standard, a compact and possibly premium version.

Each of the new devices is reported to come with a 23 megapixel primary camera.

Like previous devices in the series, all Z5s will be dust and water proof, while the rumored premium version is expected to sport a 5.5-inch screen with 3840 x 2160 pixels. This would give it a 4K resolution — a standard that was only recently rolled out for high-end televisions.

SAMSUNG SURPRISE
Having already announced its latest range of Galaxy S phones last month, Samsung then jumped the gun on its own Berlin launch party by revealing a new smartwatch on Monday.

The Gear S2 will be round and come with a better battery life.

IFA-watchers are hoping that the South Korean company has something else up its sleeve for its presentation Wednesday. The company is under pressure from Apple on the one side, and a growing number of Android competitors on the other.

TOUCH TYPES
The Apple Watch had it. Now smartphones are going to get it.

Force Touch, a technology that allows users to transmit different commands to their smartphone depending on how strongly they press the touchscreen, is expected to make an entrance at IFA.

Huawei has been tipped as the first company to introduce it in their new device, ahead of the launch of Apple's new iPhone next week.

ALCATEL ATTACK
Chinese company TCL, which owns the Alcatel One Touch brand, is launching two new entry-level smartphones in Berlin.

The Pop 3 comes with either a 5-inch or a 5.5-inch screen — comparable to Samsung and Apple's high-end phones.

At under $200, these Android-powered phones will be competitively priced despite the large display.

ROLLABLE KEYBOARD
IFA isn't just about smartphones and watches though. Thousands of new gadgets, from drones to smart fridges are launched there each year.

Among the most eye-catching items previewed before the events is the Rolly, a Bluetooth keyboard that can be folded into a long rectangular box. Its manufacturer, South Korean company LG, hopes the Rolly will appeal to people who always carry their tablet around but prefer to type on a keyboard than a touchscreen.

Other accessories that might catch consumers' eyes include a USB cable with a built-in LED light that manufacturer Hama says makes it easier to plug in your device in the dark.