Kirti S Shetti, CTS, director operations, Kramer Electronics India, recently became the first woman in India to become AVIXA CTS certified. Here, she tells Installation about the CTS certification process and discusses the trends shaping the AV sector in India…
Kirti Shetti has been working in the professional AV industry for more than a decade now. She has held a variety of technical, sales and management roles, and currently plies her trade with Kramer Electronics, where she has been since 2007. She presently holds the title of director of operations.
Prior to joining Kramer, she worked with AMX control systems and has been a regular speaker on AV technology at InfoComm events in India. She holds a Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering with honours, along with Post Graduation in General Management from XLRI and Advance Management Program from IIM Bangalore. She is also the first woman in AV in India to gain AVIXA CTS certification.
Installation caught up with her to find out about her career to date and what the future holds for the professional AV market…
Congratulations on becoming the first woman in India to become AVIXA CTS certified. Tell us a bit about your background in the industry.
I started my journey in the AV Industry in 2003 with AMX Control Systems, followed by Kramer Electronics India in 2007. I have worked in technical, sales, marketing and management roles, handling technology products and addressing the markets in India
In this fast-growing technology industry, learning is always very crucial to keep up to date with the emerging technologies and standards. CTS certification from AVIXA is one of the most recognised industry certifications and hence I was very keen to take up CTS certification.
What value do you think you have gained/will gain by being certified?
For me, the learning did not stop when I became certified. AVIXA’s course contents are updated regularly as per the latest industry technology trends. Every three years you must renew the CTS certification, which provides you with three years of learning at your pace to accumulate the Renewal Units to renew your certification. So, for me the learning did not stop in 2011, it continued.
The AV industry worldwide tends to be male dominated; do you see any signs of change in this regard in the Indian market?
When compared to earlier years, there is a definite increase in women occupying higher profile positions, spearheading company operations and taking on more roles in sales marketing, technical design support and customer service.
What would you say to other women who are considering studying for their CTS?
The AV industry has technologies and solutions that are growing at a faster pace when compared to other industries. Being part of this industry, we should equip ourselves with industry standard certifications. AVIXA CTS certification is widely recognised and keeps your learning curve growing. Hence, we should step forward to attain CTS certification.
Is CTS certification becoming more of a requirement when undertaking work in India?
Currently, there are few projects which mandate for a minimum number of CTS certified professionals working on the project. In India, the number of CTS holders are increasing every year. So, in future, the projects may have a criterion of minimum number of CTS holders to be deployed for the project.
What trends are you seeing across the AV sector in India?
The Indian AV sector has opened to most of the newer technologies and solutions. While traditional AV solutions still hold a significant market, the Indian AV industry is incorporating various formats of AV over IP solutions, LED displays – LED Video wall technologies, unified communication solutions.
Can you identify any major growth areas?
The AV Sector in India has majorly grown in the government, enterprise and education verticals, providing many new types of projects like Smart cities, Monuments, changing workspaces and digitisation of education systems.
Are there any specific technologies that are exciting you at the moment?
Audio-Video over IP technologies and all software interfaces related to this are interesting to work with as they increase the scalability of a solution while offering a whole lot of advantages in management.
What are your plans for the future?
Working in the AV industry is always exciting. And getting to work with some of the most innovative products at Kramer on a day-to-day basis, while addressing the most dynamic market called India, the excitement never stops.
