The Connectivity Standards Alliance, an organization of hundreds of companies focused on producing open global technology standards for the internet of things (IoT), on Mar. 28 announced that Musa Unmehopa from Signify (formerly Philips Lighting), has been appointed as the new chair of the Alliance's board of directors, succeeding Bruno Vulcano from Legrand, who will become the Alliance board's chair emeritus.
The transition in board leadership occurred at the Alliance's 69th Member Meeting held last month in Seoul, South Korea.
Per a press release, under Vulcano’s leadership, the Alliance saw marked growth and a fundamental evolution to a multi-technology internet of things organization, including the expansion to seven working groups to reflect the growing scope of the market.
During his tenure, the Alliance also introduced the Matter standard, an inflection point for the internet of things, bringing the next generation of interoperable products that work across brands and platforms to market with greater privacy, security and simplicity for consumers.
Tobin Richardson, president and CEO of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, commented:
“During Bruno’s 3-year term as Chair, the Alliance experienced phenomenal member growth throughout the world, expanded the impact of Zigbee technology and introduced Matter and its certification program. As an industry leading organization setting standards for the IoT, our member volunteers are the key to the advancement of our collective goals, and I want to thank Bruno for his principled leadership, commitment and dedication.”
Unmehopa, who is the head of wireless standards and regulations at Signify, has been engaged with the Alliance for more than 10 years and has held previous Alliance roles including treasurer, chair of the testing and certification oversight committee, and board director. His other industry board participation has included the Open Mobile Alliance, Zhaga Consortium, The Connected Lighting Alliance, Emerge Alliance, and the Parlay Group.
Connectivity Standards Alliance CEO Richardson said:
“We couldn’t be more excited to have Musa lead the board at such a pivotal point in the life of the Alliance. He assumes the position with not only a broad understanding of the Alliance and its goals and mission, but an enlightened view of the industry and the complexity in which our members are operating. As the Alliance and its members work to increase global adoption of our standards, tackle new challenges like privacy and security, and create a better, more connected world for consumers, Musa’s experience and leadership will serve as a key to our success.”
In addition to Unmehopa as chair and Vulcano as chair emeritus, other board officers of the Alliance also seated at the close of its Seoul Member Meeting included: Kevin Kraus from Assa Abloy as vice chair; Jean Michel Orsat from Somfy as treasurer; and Chris Daniels from The Kroger Company as secretary.
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