Meet the Team

With Meet The HARMAN Luxury Team, our goal is for you to get to know us better. In each edition we feature a different member of the team, and this month it's Alan Davidson, Account Manager EMEA.

How would you describe what you do in your current role? 

My role within the HARMAN luxury audio team is as an Account Sales Manager responsible for multiple distributors within the following territories, France, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia, Moldova, Ukraine and not forgetting the island of Malta in the Mediterranean sea. Working with each distributor, we build a business plan to support and promote the luxury audio portfolio of products. Understanding the needs of both the business and our partners to successfully grow the business within the EMEA region.

What did you study in school? Did you always imagine yourself doing something like what you’re doing now or did the fates just take you in that direction?

School seems a long time ago, in a time of chalk, blackboards, textbooks with discipline distributed by the fear of the cane or slipper. I have to say I enjoyed my school years excelling in most subjects, except for English. In later years to find out that I suffer with dyslexia. I always knew I was going to have a career in sales. While I was at school back in the 70s, you could get on a Saturday job working in retail. I had the best Saturday job, I worked in the record department of our local WH SMITH store. The manager of the store recognised that I would be a suitable candidate to join their trainee management programme. Long story short, I ended up as part of the team that launched home computing within WH Smith. My second lucky break came when Commodore computers headhunted me and asked me to join them. Within six months I was part of the UK sales team and my sales career started.

How did your career path lead you to HARMAN?

The home computing bubble went bust in 1986 and I needed a job. So, I went for a job at Yamaha and to be honest I didn't know they manufactured hi-fi product. I joined Yamaha at the start of the surround sound evolution, and I conducted the second ever public demonstration of the DSP1 within Europe. I was hooked, a combination of great product, fantastic new technologies, music, film and great people, my career grew, and I ended up as Sales Manager for the last six years of my 22 years at Yamaha. When Yamaha started merging the musical instruments divisions into hi-fi, the time was right to make a move. Hello ARCAM, the great British hi-fi brand. It was like going back to the basics, great sound, good demonstrations, building relationships with our partners and an opportunity to sell and show my skill across Europe. HARMAN came knocking and the rest is history.

What is the most important thing you have learned over your career? 

They say you have two ears and one mouth and you should use them in that proportion. Having an empathy with both your partners and the business is crucial. Good businesses want to be driven, finding the right product with the best solutions to ensure the best sales results for both parties.

Any other advice you would share with people just starting out in this industry? 

If you have a passion for music and film, you're on the right road. However, it's looking after and dealing with the challenges of both the partners and the business on a day-to-day basis that is the most important factor.

What are you most proud of in your life? 

My family. Sue and I have four children, now adults, who live their lives to the max, with a great work attitude. Very proud of their achievements so far. 

When did you realize you had a passion for music or audio? Was there any one band, song, or movie that did it for you? 

As mentioned before, growing up in the best decades for music, the 70s and 80s, having a Saturday job working in a record store, I was exposed to so many different genres of music. It's one of the reasons I love so many different artists. 

What current technology impresses you the most? 

AI must impress, how it will develop, what will be the advantages and disadvantages, how can we use it in our business and our personal lives. I do know we have to embrace and take the advantage of this fantastic new technology.

Favorite music genre?

The best way to answer this question is as follows: if I'm in a church I love carols, if I'm in a jazz club I love jazz. You get my understanding. The right music for the right occasion is always the best music.

The desert island question, of course. If you were marooned for eternity & could listen to only 3 albums, what would they be?

Queen – Greatest Hits

Beatles – Sgt. Pepper's

David Bowie – Let's Dance

You have the floor. In closing, tell us anything else you want us to know about yourself.

My own motto is work hard, play hard. Live life to the full. Be prepared to try something new and never judge the book by the cover.