Rise AV, the not-for-profit initiative dedicated to supporting women in the AV industry, has announced the mentor-mentee pairings for its inaugural Asia-Pacific mentoring programme, with 31 women paired with industry mentors across the region. QSC is global headline sponsor of Rise AV, with Lightware and ROE Visual serving as silver sponsors. Rise AV says the initiative is actively seeking additional sponsors across APAC and globally to support future cohorts.
The APAC expansion follows the success of Rise AV’s UK programme, launched in January 2025. Applicants have come predominantly from Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, and India, with mentors drawn from organisations including JLL, MGM Macau, JPMorgan, and Meta.
The six-month programme combines one-to-one mentorship with virtual networking, public speaking and personal branding training, and culturally tailored workshops. In-person elements include participation at InfoComm Asia and site visits including MGM Macau. Given the geographic spread of participants, the programme operates primarily in a virtual format.
Peter Hunt, chairperson of the Rise AV APAC Regional Council, said: “Launching the APAC Mentoring Programme marks an exciting step forward in our mission to support women globally across the AV industry. The level of interest across the region has been incredible, and we are proud to deliver a programme that reflects the diversity, ambition, and unique cultural landscape of APAC.”
Rise AV was formed in 2017 to support women in broadcast media technology before expanding into the AV sector. The organisation says the programme also aims to address the industry’s ongoing skills shortage by developing the next generation of AV professionals.
The 2026 Rise AV APAC mentor-mentee pairings are as follows: Aditi Bansal, Samsung Australia, mentored by Pujan Doshi Dowsett, IAG; Cassie Fong, AVI-SPL Hong Kong, mentored by David McKinney, Generation AV; Chenxi Li, Samsung Asia, mentored by Cong Wei, QSC; Chermaine Gan, Kayreach System, mentored by Azrina Abdullah, Midwich Asia; Chris Pang, AVI-SPL Hong Kong, mentored by Vivian Zhao, L-Acoustics; Cora Xue, Brompton Technology, mentored by Dina Menon, Electronics & Engineering; Cynthia Chiu, QSC, mentored by Priscilla Chang, The Noise People/WOW! Media Resources; Hannah Hung, AVI-SPL Hong Kong, mentored by Peter Hunt, Hewshott; Iris Teong, PTS Consulting Singapore, mentored by Leslie Goh, Samsung Asia; Ivy Leong, Ideal Systems Singapore, mentored by Jason Tay, Netgear; Jennifer Chuang, Samsung Asia, mentored by Sujith Sivaram, ESCO; Jude (Xiuzhu) Lin, Brompton Technology, mentored by Darren Kopas, MGM Grand; Kate Tang, Lightware Visual Engineering, mentored by Yun Leu, JLL; Lauren Addison, DBS Consulting, mentored by Maureen Aw, Marina Bay Sands; and Lauren Hansom, University of Sydney, mentored by Ngaire O’Leary, Sydney Catholic Schools.
Further pairings: Mandy Tsui, Kinly, mentored by Piyanut Boonkhun, sAVe; Marisa Macedo, Pro AV Solutions, mentored by Shanelle Stokes, Sony; Marta Stanke, Electro-Voice, mentored by David Seow, Ideal Systems Singapore; Mei Ying Ong, ESCO, mentored by Candice Siow, Lightware; Melody Bilegt, Ideal Systems, mentored by Mavis Leung, Crestron; Oleksandra Fil, Samsung Electronics, mentored by James Sheridan, Igloo Vision; Penny Chang, LG Electronics Australia, mentored by Eamon Drew, Turtle AV; Pooja Dhir, Sharp Business Systems India, mentored by Praveen Chandola, Talendor People Consulting; Priscilla Ho, ESCO, mentored by David Claringbold, Claringbold Consultants; Pui Kuan Hon, MGM Macau, mentored by Carla Sepulveda, Show Spectrum; Rachel Jacob, Munro Acoustics, mentored by Mohan Subramaniam, Meta; Rucha Deo, Intart Tech Solutions, mentored by Prashant Govindan, Generation AV India; Scarlett Wang, Sennheiser Electronics Asia, mentored by Kagi Lau, Kinly; Susie Yin, QSC, mentored by Alexis Figueiras, JPMorgan; Vivi Chiang, Brompton Technology, mentored by Adrash Mohan, Vstream Asia; and Vruchi Satra, Generation AV India, mentored by Mustafa Rampurawala, Solutions India Systems.
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