Monique Rezai with AV in the Wild

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to AV in the Wild, the podcast that dives deep into the heart of the pro AV industry. Out in the field, on the move and in the moment. [00:00:09] Speaker B: Hi, everybody, and welcome back to another episode of AV in the Wild. And this time we are in the beautiful Midwich on air Booth at ISE 2026, and Neil and I are joined by Monique Rezai, who is the CRO for Midwich us. Welcome, Monique. [00:00:31] Speaker C: Thank you. Thank you for having me today, guys. [00:00:35] Speaker B: Neil, you. You've known Monique previously. [00:00:40] Speaker D: We worked at Polycom for many years and that company's gone through a whole bunch of transitions, as has the whole industry, I guess. What changes have you seen through the industry through the years that you looked at? [00:00:54] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, it's changed dramatically. [00:00:55] Speaker B: Right. [00:00:56] Speaker C: Even the first days when starting a Polycom, there was still physical hardware that had to go in for. For making calls. [00:01:04] Speaker B: Right. [00:01:04] Speaker C: There was no cloud services. There were not 20 different OEMs competing in the same space. It was Polycom and Cisco at the time. [00:01:12] Speaker D: Right. [00:01:13] Speaker C: And so you've seen a lot of change over the last 10, 15 years, not just in the hardware, but, you know, as we get into AI and other things, just who and how we talk about it and, you know, the connected workplace, it's a different story, it's a different journey. [00:01:29] Speaker D: We'll definitely touch on AI and how you distribute AI, because I guess that's going to be an interesting model and change, but I guess the role of a distributor has really changed because as you say, in the olden days, it used to be shifting, box shifter was the term. It's a horrible term for distribution. And then again, you try to add value through that. But again, I think moving from that to the world, we are that kind of model. And the landscape has changed more recently around a lot of consolidation going on in the distribution space time. [00:01:59] Speaker C: You know, I think even the industry in general is going through a lot of consolidation. I think we saw that even prior to the pandemic. Even at the beginning of the pandemic, you saw the Avispl and Whitlock acquisition, skc, and then from there it just kind of grew. I think this year is probably going to be one of the biggest years when it comes to M and A activity. [00:02:20] Speaker D: Okay. [00:02:21] Speaker C: In general. Right. If you see what the GPA is doing, Yorktel and Kinley, you know, I mean, how many partners have they merged and acquired this year with? Right. And cti, I think we're gonna see that even more. [00:02:34] Speaker D: CTI merged with some in the uk, but. [00:02:37] Speaker B: But let's bring it home. So Midwich has grown through acquisition and now you find yourself heading up Midwich us. The CRO is, it's, you're in a really key, pivotal position now to influence how that part of the business grows from uk, you know, dis origins or, you know, now as a global entity. Talk us through your. A little bit of your journey and how you, how you've, how you find yourself in that role. And what was it that made you say yes to that job offer? [00:03:12] Speaker C: Yeah, that's a wonderful question because I think this is one move that surprised a lot of people. But you know, really the biggest driving force was having a global footprint, a global muscle, a global engine behind what we want to do. Because as you know, Midwich globally is the biggest UC and AV distributor with the biggest footprint and North America is a growth opportunity. Right. So five years ago they Midwich acquired Starin in the us, acquired SFM in Canada out of Montreal, and it's the biggest growth opportunity for Midwich as well. Right. If you look at the share of wallet we have in North America and the opportunity to grow, it's immense. And so we're really excited about where we can take this business and the services and the software and the opportunity we can bring to our customers to then give them more opportunities and solutions for their customers. Right. It's going to be a fun journey and a fun ride and you've got [00:04:15] Speaker B: a great team, great team. [00:04:16] Speaker C: And that is core. I am very fortunate that I walked into an environment where the team is incredibly strong. They're primed for acceleration and it's time to give them the right tools, the right resources, everything that they need to be successful. And in fact, two weeks ago we had an amplify event is what we call it, but we turned it into a mini sales kickoff at the same time. And so we came in with a list of priorities and presented to the team and gave them a lot of clarity and direction of where we want to go, the five priorities of how we're going to get there and really got them bought into the messaging. And not only from the North America perspective, but from a global perspective. I wanted them to understand, like I said earlier, the engine behind them. Even though we might be small in North America, the upside is huge and the backing is even stronger. And I wanted to make sure that we had that, that, that messaging and that buy in from the teams as we come into the new year. [00:05:16] Speaker B: And you're a significant contributor to that space, you know, and the team understanding that is key to. To all of that. That's great. [00:05:24] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:05:25] Speaker D: In the UK you've got sort of specialist there, so you've obviously got Midwich and you've got Holden. I mean how do you kind of differentiate between being the generalist of, I guess maybe like stare and then certainly in certain regions where you have these actual specializations. So that Holden in the broadcast space, your Midwich doing the UC space, then obviously like headsets and telephony, I mean are you breaking it down and keeping those entities rather than bringing them under one single umbrella? [00:05:49] Speaker C: So I think ultimately everything will be under the Midwich umbrella. But you know, even to your earlier question about M and A activity, Midwich has built an entire global footprint on M and A activity. [00:06:00] Speaker B: Right. [00:06:01] Speaker C: But one thing that Midwich has been really good at is finding the right resources where but then letting them keep their uniqueness locally. Right. There are different nuances to the market, there are different needs, there are different strengths. Some of them were stronger in broadcast. Staren was much stronger in the UC business and that's something that we're going to double down on this year as well. SFM in Canada was strong in integrated room audio with Shure and Q sys and brands like that. And so we want to be the go to AV and UC distributor in North America and really one that can provide the full AI connected workplace solution from beginning to end and filling all the gaps for with partners in our channel and giving them guidance on how to sell it. Right. It can get confusing. Right. You've got the AI connected workplace and you've got things like places and rooms and copilot in the room and you know, at a high level, fundamentally everyone understands it. But when you've got your sellers in the field that have to position it, how does that translate to them and what's the messaging that they need and how can they be profitable in this space and how can they monetize this buzz around AI in the AV industry? Right. [00:07:13] Speaker D: You mentioned five initiatives that you were working with your salescape. Can you kind of elaborate on any of those and what those five areas, [00:07:19] Speaker B: Are they a trade secret? [00:07:21] Speaker D: Yeah, exactly. [00:07:22] Speaker C: Some of them are a little more internal focused. Right. And you know, operationally and some foundational building things to really help us accelerate in the market. But I think first and foremost we've been hit with a big charter to grow the North American America territory. And so growing our share of wallet is number one for me and I even said it for our team two weeks ago. I don't think we have our unfair share, not to mention our fair share of wallet yet. Right. We've got the biggest brands, the biggest customers in our portfolio and I want them to get super intentional about where they can go, right. Giving them the tools like a, like a strong QBR template with wallet share growth quarter by quarter, by brand, it's etc. And having them understand how they fit into the puzzle of that customer and get real creative. Right? Creativity drives innovation, innovation drives growth and we have a big growth charter. So one of those focus areas was really all about share of wallet and being really prescriptive about how we manage that, how we understand that. The second one was around doubling down in the UC business. Staren started with Zoom five years ago. You know we have a team at group that leads the cloud software initiatives for us and so we've built a platform that allows us to now sell licensing. So Zoom licensing, Google licensing, Q sys licensing and we want to get teams rooms licensing on there but we want to launch that hopefully later this year in North America. We've been piloting it in Europe. But you know, being able to go be the go to distributor where they can get the entire solution is important and UC is kind of the anchor for that. All the peripherals that come with it, the integrated room, audio as well, there's just so much opportunity built around that space and that's a space that we know well. Right. And third, the third one was more around operational efficiencies and internal things. But then we also really want to double down on inside sales. You know, we have a very strong outside field team. We have, we have a very strong inside sales team. Our sweet spot outside of the big ten partners is that mid tier. That's where we can provide the most value. That's where our value is most appreciated and needed. That's where we can provide services around MTR integration and network assessments and programming, provisioning things that some of those customers can't do in house that we want to be able to augment inside sales is key for that. Right. The ones that are managing that inside that mid tier partner. And so we've opened a few more recs. Just this month we're going to open some more. But inside sales is key and retaining those customers in that mid market is the hardest thing to do. [00:10:05] Speaker B: Right. And it's about differentiating, isn't it? It sets you apart. Maybe it hasn't happened yet, but what do you foresee is your greatest challenge or have there been challenges? So all three of us have had new jobs in the last year. Right. So I think there's a natural moment when you're in any role that you think, oh, what have I done? Why did I do it? [00:10:27] Speaker C: Why did I sign up for this? [00:10:30] Speaker B: It hasn't happened to me yet. I'm expecting it. But it hasn't yet. Maybe it hasn't, but maybe it will. [00:10:35] Speaker C: It hasn't. But you know, one of the biggest reasons why I came here outside of, you know, having worked at an oem, having worked at a service provider, having worked at Microsoft, was I've managed distribution for 20 years, never actually worked at a distributor. And I really wanted to learn the nuts and bolts of the engine to kind of round out my experience to be a better leader in this space. But challenge wise, I would say, is primarily around market awareness In North America. Right. We've got some big broadliner competitors that have owned the space for many years. We've been there just a few years. And so just getting that awareness out is one of the other priorities really is being bold, being strong, showing up strong in the market so people know who we are and know why they need to work with us. And so we'll be. That's probably the biggest challenge, but also opportunity at the same time. Yeah. [00:11:28] Speaker D: Is there, is there a shift? I know we certainly see it where I work, the move towards EB to B and E online stuff. I mean, Amazon for business obviously is doing a lot around the go to market and the route to market. Are you seeing that as a distributor, more resellers wanting to do more transactional stuff online for repeatable stuff, versus again the value you're providing with the inside sales you're putting through. Is there any kind of shift towards technologies like that? [00:11:55] Speaker C: You know, I think the market in general wants it, demands it. Even if you look at Microsoft and what they're doing with the teams rooms and trying to get installs down to $1,000 and being able to deploy the express room install repeatable. Right. And it helps the bigger integrators as well too. And I think initially they thought of it as like competition or you can't control. But if they can go from deploying 20,000 rooms to 50,000 rooms in a year, it actually works and it makes sense and it helps them scale in those, in those areas where maybe they had limitations before because of what it would take to install a room. You know, we do have E commerce sites both in the US and in Canada and globally. You can go online and you know, you can see our presence there. Customers can procure some devices that way. In Canada, we actually have a relationship with Amazon, so we do a lot of fulfillment for them as well. But I do, you know, when it comes to our biggest problem brands and what they're asking of us as well is, you know, Yealink has phones and Logi has headsets and you know, there's so many other areas that I think we need to get really even stronger around so we can help sell the whole portfolio to our customers. [00:13:08] Speaker D: And what about sort of as say, you're obviously doing a lot of work internally with regards to adding value. What from the outward side, you know, the customers, what are you adding to the resellers again, what are you seeing the demand from them and what are you doing to change the experience for the resellers with regards to the services your office are offering? [00:13:26] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, I think there are service delivery things or managed service offerings and then it's the service that our teams provide to the customers, they can [00:13:36] Speaker D: white label those and. [00:13:37] Speaker C: Yeah, and so, you know, I think even on the inside sales piece, it's servicing those customers so we can retain them and grow them and build their trust. That's one piece. But managed services is an area that I'm going to put a lot of emphasis on as we move forward. We have a strong team when it comes to, you know, historically Q sys, commissioning, programming, etc. Network assessments. We have a huge team in the US and Canada that can provide these services and we sell these services as well as what we call our plus service offerings. So we've got Protect plus and Support Plus. CodePlus would be some of that commissioning. And you know, we want to add on things like MTR integration, potentially getting Outlook engineers different things that we can do to help augment that mid tier channel and fill the gaps that they have when they're competing with everyone else. [00:14:27] Speaker D: And I guess they can then white label those and say they can then use that. So the smaller organizations that can't provide that kind of global footprint, that all weighs on and that supportability you're backing, they can back that off to you, but then obviously resell that out to the end user. [00:14:41] Speaker C: Exactly, yeah. [00:14:42] Speaker B: And not to get too political in a very political way, but where do you think we are going in terms of tariffs and just that space where, you know, America is seen as being very volatile at the moment, but that's how we're seeing. Probably doesn't feel like that maybe, I don't know. But also shortages. [00:15:08] Speaker D: Yeah, the chip shortages volatility of pricing. [00:15:12] Speaker C: Remember that at Crestron during the beginning of the mtr, they're still shipping, Everybody had that. [00:15:18] Speaker B: They're still planning to ship in 2027, I think. Sorry. But they are real issues and concerns. And if you're a small business, why would a small business, or why should a small business have that backing from a distributor who can give them that assurance and have the, the buying power, the, you know, the ability to deliver and keep them going? If they're, you know, it's fine for the big integrators, they've got that, they've got a bit of weight to, you know, it's a bit around, push around. Right. So how can, how can Midwich, especially in the us, is that an advantage or are you positioning yourself in that way? How is it? [00:16:06] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, it's definitely a challenge. Right. And in having remit over U.S. and Canada, you also see challenges in between there when it comes to tariffs and things like that. You know, this year in general, I think as an individual industry is not. It's going to be pretty flat. And so that's why focusing on share of wallet and how we can serve our customers even more in different areas than maybe we have in the past, newer brands, new services, software, etc. Is how we will get to growth. But it's not that I don't think the industry is going to grow at the rate this year that we hope to grow internally because of things like. Like that. Yeah, it's going to be a tough year. [00:16:46] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:16:47] Speaker B: For all of us. [00:16:48] Speaker D: Yeah. I'm looking at you, you look at me. We've got a great portfolio. So, I mean, what about bringing other brands together? Because we were talking before we pressed record about, you know, one of the huge values that Midwich has is being able to bring together the whole story. Again, we as manufacturers provide a small component on that. The customer has a requirement. I've got a new office, I'm kitting out, I've got a new, new, we're refurbishing. Or again, they've got maybe an M and A that they need to provide, you know, a new room or a [00:17:18] Speaker B: new office and we have no money. But we want the best. [00:17:21] Speaker D: Yeah, again, we want all the best stuff. Clearly you've got a whole bunch of vendors and again, you've got the value of putting that all together. Again, what are you doing with regards to bringing multiple vendors together to provide that, you know, one plus one equals three to the customer as an all in one solution? [00:17:37] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean Outside of the solutions that are there already, like, we're looking at a lot of potentially bundling different [00:17:44] Speaker D: OEMs, solution setting rather than just products. [00:17:47] Speaker C: Yeah. And we have to, because that's part of the value that we can provide and the creativity and the flexibility and being able to do those things. But there are unique partnerships in the industry, in the OEM space that we want to bring together and potentially skew at distribution and things like that. And so, yeah, it's definitely part of the journey. [00:18:07] Speaker B: And I think one of the exciting things that Midwich introduced, and I might be wrong, but I'm gonna say it's two years old now, is looking for those new nuggets of entrepreneurship and that initiative. How's that going? [00:18:22] Speaker C: It's been going great, actually. [00:18:24] Speaker B: You know, I'm in love with Netspeak, [00:18:26] Speaker C: but, yeah, I mean, Netspeak. We've got old friends at netspeak, right. Sam Kennedy and others. I remember it was about a year and a half ago at Infocomm, and it was brand new. And he said, monique, you have to come see this. And I was like, what? Chris, you have to come. Like, follow me. You know how Chris's energy is, right. And yeah, I love that we have that thought leadership internally and that we are looking at the next type of technologies in the industry, whether we can sell them or not. [00:18:54] Speaker B: Because I see that as investing in [00:18:55] Speaker C: the future, investing in the future of the industry. And some of these products, none of the intent of. Not there's no intent from any of them that we are going to distribute them once we bring them on board. It's an investment in the industry as we move forward. Netspeak, I think, would be one that we could build into our service offerings. I think it's an incredible solution and it's something that I'll definitely look into. But, yeah, it's a great space. Will Fenby leads that team for us. I think there's seven or eight businesses right now that he's involved in and, yeah, just helping invest and give them what they need to really accelerate their growth and presence in the market. [00:19:31] Speaker B: And that. I mean, I'm speaking personally now. I. I think it leans into. And I talk about. I mean, sustainability is such a. You know, there's a bit of greenwashing going on when it. When people talk about sustainability, but I just think as a word, it's so much broader than that. If we're going to sustain as an industry, we've got to have more people who are interested in investing in these people. Who otherwise couldn't get to market or. So, yeah, fully, I'm a big fan. [00:20:02] Speaker D: Well, one of the things I love about Moobridge compared to any other distributor out there is what you do in the UK around Innovation House. There's no one else I know of that's doing that kind of demonstration because again, bringing the story because again, lots of people can box shift, lots of people can sell point products. But what I really love about what Midwich is doing is bringing an actual story to the actual partners and the customers say the innovation. You just refurbished it in the UK and Bracknell, again, I know I'm very obviously, I know the UK footprint much better than the sarin footprint. But again, what you've done in Innovation House and the way you take them through that journey through the big led, through the UC space and through the rest of the stuff, again, it's really differentiating you from those other distributors and you are setting the bar really high with regards to again, the experience that partners can bring their customers into that experience and show that kind of story and that journey through the sort of day in the life and again those presentations that you can provide. [00:20:59] Speaker C: Yeah, and I would love Studio. [00:21:00] Speaker D: Oh, yeah, there you go. It's fantastic. I got gushing on the innovation. Now I'm sure you've got other good. [00:21:05] Speaker C: I need to see it. There are amazing things about it. Maybe it's something know we can replicate in North America as we grow. But yeah, I think it's all about the experience. You know, at the end of the day it's yes, there's products, there's services, sales we have to bundle and sell. Right. And support. But it's all about the end user experience at the end of the day and how everything works together smoothly and that's. [00:21:29] Speaker B: And it's the giving back. I think for me I'm coming back to that sort of. I feel like the team at Midwich over the years and obviously I've been in the industry for 20, which is strange because I'm only 21. [00:21:45] Speaker C: Same. Same, yeah. [00:21:47] Speaker B: Born into the industry. It's that human element of, I mean, even having this space, right. And being generous enough people to share it. [00:21:57] Speaker D: You were the first to kind of do this kind of stuff, generating money [00:22:00] Speaker B: for Midwood, but it is generating a lot of goodwill because, you know, that loyalty and that affinity with the people and it just, it feels like that, that those themes are quite consistent and they've managed to retain that. I think that's one of the hardest things through M&A. If you've got a strong team is how do you, when you're taking on another business and it's another culture, how do you keep that culture and get everybody on the same box, us feeling that they're part of the same journey? [00:22:31] Speaker C: It's critical. [00:22:32] Speaker B: I guess in your lifetime there are going to be more acquisitions. Right. Because, you know, how do you feel about. [00:22:38] Speaker D: How do you smiling? [00:22:40] Speaker B: I mean, if there are any spoiler alerts, if there's any breaking news, what [00:22:43] Speaker D: happens, we'll have a break. [00:22:45] Speaker C: Nothing to share. No, but, but yeah, I think in general, how do you feel. [00:22:49] Speaker B: But how do you feel about that, about bringing on a completely different cross culture if that happens? [00:22:55] Speaker C: Yeah. You know, I think in any big change or big shift acquisition or a big team change internally in an organization, as the leader of the organization, we have to give clarity and we have to lead with a growth mindset. And I know that sounds cliche and catchy and everyone says it, but it's critical. [00:23:17] Speaker B: Fundamental. [00:23:18] Speaker C: It is fundamental. And making sure they understand why the changes are happening and how they fit into the changes and what it means for them and getting them bought in. So they want to be on that journey with you to grow. Right. And that's one thing that is, candidly, has been kind of a bit of my superpower the last 15 years is building these teams and building their energy and empowering them. You know what the journey is, you know what our goal is, you know what your piece of that pie is and the strategy and really just empowering them to go do it. And you know, I learned that, Gosh, in my MBA schooling. I was like 21. This was. Yes. [00:24:01] Speaker D: A long time ago. [00:24:02] Speaker C: No, Yeah, a couple weeks ago. But we had a leader, a local CEO come in and speak to us. And the only thing I remember from that three hour session was hire really strong people and empower them to do their thing. And it has always worked for me. Right. And if you, if you mess up, great. What'd you learn from it? Let's keep going. Right. But getting them bought in, getting them to understand how their piece affects the journey and the overall growth is critical value. [00:24:34] Speaker B: Right. Because that person then feels valued. They feel that they're being, you know, that their strengths are being played to and it. Yeah. [00:24:42] Speaker C: And if I had all the answers, I wouldn't need them. Right. So I need people that are experts in this space and that space and I need to be able to trust them to own that piece of the puzzle. [00:24:52] Speaker B: So exciting times. We could talk all day. [00:24:55] Speaker D: We could, I guess, to sort of bring it to, I mean, we're sitting here at the beginning of 2026. What's your kind of vision in into the future as we roll through this year, into next year? Again, all of your partners and customers are listening to this. You know, what, what can they expect? What should they, you know, take on? And again, what can you give them as a glimpse for the, the future? [00:25:17] Speaker B: And we're going to prepare a little test for your staff. [00:25:22] Speaker C: They remember the priorities and where we are. [00:25:24] Speaker D: This is the kind of actions, the takeaways for them. What do you, what are you going to give them for the rest of the year? [00:25:28] Speaker C: You know, and I think globally, mid, which we want to grow, obviously, but in North America, I want them to think of us when it comes to a partner in distribution because we're not just going to move boxes, we're going to be a partner. We're going to help you drive the story, drive the solution, fill all the gaps that we need to do. And like I said earlier, we want to be the go to distributor for all AV users see in the connected workplace. Right. And I think, you know, there are two Microsoft individuals in the last year that Midwich has hired and that brings a lot of validity to the story. This is where we want to go, this is what we want to do. We want to be your partner and we're going to show up bigger and better and we want to make sure that people know where to find us. [00:26:16] Speaker B: And where will people find you? [00:26:19] Speaker C: Well, today on booth number three P700. Yeah. In the Fira in Barcelona, Spain. But yeah, I mean, we'll be all over this year. You know, I've got a great team that's out in the field all over the US and Canada. And yeah, you'll find us here at ise, but you'll also find us everywhere you need to go throughout the year. [00:26:43] Speaker B: And are you happy for people to connect with you? [00:26:47] Speaker C: Absolutely, yeah. Please, please reach out. I would love to have a chat with anyone. [00:26:52] Speaker B: Yeah, brilliant. [00:26:53] Speaker D: Fantastic. Monique, thank you ever so much for joining us. And again, some really exciting stuff. Can't wait to see what Midwich has got lined up for the rest of the year. So thank you for joining us. In fact, thank you, thank you all for tuning in to this episode of AV in the Wild with our great partner here at Midwich. For those who's coming from us in the upcoming show, so make sure you subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and we will catch you on the next one. [00:27:16] Speaker A: That's a wrap on this episode of AV in the Wild. Big thanks to our guests and to you, our listeners, for joining us on this journey through the AV landscape. If you liked what you heard, don't forget to subscribe. Share Leave a Review it helps us keep the conversation going. Catch us next time as we hit the road again with more voices, more stories, and more of what makes AV wild. Until then, stay curious, stay connected, and stay wild.