“It all comes down to supporting customers, understanding what they’re trying to achieve and then making sure that we’re pointing them in the right direction.”

Adam O’Brien, Signagelive Business Development Manager

For Campbell University in North Carolina graduate and golf enthusiast, Adam O’Brien, success is par for the course. Since graduating in business management and professional golf management, O’Brien has carved out a successful career in the healthcare sector, boosting the revenue and growth of multiple international corporations. Now, as Signagelive tees up for expansion in the Americas, he’s set to tackle his next big role as the company’s new Business Development Manager for this region.

Can you tell us about your professional background?

Prior to joining the Signagelive team, I worked in a number of business development roles for multinational corporations in the healthcare sector. My first role was actually for an Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) company in Florida.

Why did you decide to join the Signagelive team?

There was a multitude of reasons, but I think first and foremost, I was impressed by Signagelive’s commitment to the industry and to innovation. What the company has been able to do now – and over the last 30 years to advance the Digital Signage sector is testimony to its continued importance. It covers such a broad spectrum of solutions and can help so many different businesses. I also really value the company’s transparent approach and find it quite refreshing. 

In terms of my own role, I’m really excited for the opportunity. There is still a lot of untapped potential in the Americas, and with a new and expanded team there, I think we have the technology, experience and brand name to grow the company’s footprint throughout the region. I’m looking forward to working with customers, and helping to support their end users, from the initial fact-finding research stages right the way through to installation and deployment.

How will you approach your new role?

In my experience, I believe that there’s no magic trick or single skill that can ensure you perform well. I think, for any business development role, it all comes down to supporting customers, understanding what they’re trying to achieve and then making sure that we’re pointing them in the right direction. No two businesses are alike, so it’s important to get to know their unique requirements.

Your job is essentially to make day-to-day life for employees easier, in our case, by improving their communications, whether that’s internally or externally. 

I’m used to dealing with the needs of large-scale multinational corporations, so I believe that I should have the right grounding to help. In the Americas, we also have a growing number of partners in the healthcare sector, so here, with my professional background, I should hopefully be able to speak the lingo and recognise many of the specific challenges they need to overcome.

Can you tell our customers and partners a little more about yourself?

Well, I have a passion for golf – so much so, that I studied professional golf management in addition to business at Campbell University in North Carolina. It’s actually one of the few universities in the United States to offer such a course. Thanks to this programme, I was lucky enough to be able to intern at some of the most prestigious golf courses in the world, including Liberty National during the Presidents Cup. It was an incredible experience, and I was mentored by some amazing people, who taught me about leadership, organisational styles and tactics – and communications, which is a big part of the golf industry. I believe these are the kind of skills you need for anywhere you go, whatever the business or sector.

I will also add that, in terms of my golf, I’m still working on it! I have a handicap of five.

Another thing I love to do in my spare time is travel with my wife. She’s Australian, so we travel to Australia quite frequently to visit her family there. I would say my favourite place is Australia, and specifically, the Great Barrier Reef.

Finally, will you be attending any industry events?

Definitely. I’ll be attending Digital Signage Expo in Vegas at the beginning of December, and then InfoComm next year. So, hopefully, these shows will be another opportunity to meet partners and customers.