Upon first take, Jose Royo seems too cool to be a self-described
geek.
Born in Spain, Royo has simply merged a hint of his native accent
into the natural hip of Southern California style.
But he’s also the first to admit his natural draw to the nuts and
bolts of technology — his first job was modeling IBM’s first generation of PCs at a trade show in Madrid at age 14 — and its constant
adaptations. As such, he’s found a home as CEO for Ascent Media
Corp., the world’s largest provider of integrated global services for
the creation, management and distribution of media content.
In a world where the technology used to print this magazine is
just about obsolete by the time you pick it up, Ascent Media is facing shorter deadlines and expectations to have work done in mere
hours.
“We used to have months to do certain activities,” Royo says. “We
now only have, in some instances, hours, days and, at most,
weeks.”
That means Royo spends every day trying to keep his 3,500
employees spread across the world nimble enough to jump on the
next technology while still putting out today’s product.
“You sort of stop and wonder and say, ‘OK, this is what we do
today. Given these changes, the business models that are emerging, the global nature of the industry and the technology changes
that we’re all experiencing, how can we be relevant and continue
to have the business with the high profile?’” he says.
So Royo uses some of his cool to overcome his geekiness. He
constantly touches base with his employees at all levels and cuts
out the jargon, describing for them very clearly where the company needs to go and how they can help. As he mixes in new technology experts with his existing staff, he works to quell egos and
keep everyone focused on Ascent Media’s success.
Here is how Royo keeps a $672.3 million company ahead of the
curve.
