Areal, a spatial audio and live sound technology company, has appointed François Villaret as CEO, formalising a relationship that began when he joined the company as a strategic advisor in July 2025. Villaret brings experience in spatial audio, go-to-market strategy and international commercial development, having spent seven years as head of business development at immersive loudspeaker manufacturer HOLOPLOT, joining when it was a six-person team and remaining as it grew to more than 130 people.
During his time at HOLOPLOT, Villaret worked across go-to-market strategy, partnerships and commercial expansion, with experience spanning projects including Sphere in Las Vegas, major houses of worship and HOLOPLOT’s expansion into live sound, including Tomorrowland, where he first collaborated with the Areal team.
Areal’s portfolio spans professional monitoring and live sound, including SR1, a portable spatial reference system that allows engineers to monitor multichannel sessions up to 7.1.4 on headphones, and the Upmix Engine, which expands stereo sources across multi-speaker live systems in real time.
Villaret said: “Over the past few years, I’ve been impressed by the talent of the Areal team and the remarkable level of innovation behind our technology. We have a real opportunity to make immersive audio more accessible and practical for the market, and I’m excited to continue building with the team as we take Areal into its next growth phase.”
Pieter Doms, co-founder of Areal, added: “I’m really happy to have François on board as CEO. I first got to know him through his work with HOLOPLOT at Tomorrowland, so there was already a strong connection with the world we’re working in. Since he joined Areal as an advisor, he’s helped us bring two products to market, added a lot more structure to the way we work and brought valuable experience and connections across the industry.”
As part of Areal’s new leadership structure, Michel Janssens, the company’s first hire, will continue alongside Villaret in the newly formalised role of COO.
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