Phil Laven becomes DVB Fellow

Former DVB Chairman Phil Laven has been made an Honorary Fellow of the DVB Project. He is the seventh person to receive this honour, created by the DVB Steering Board in 2006 as a form of ‘lifetime achievement award’. It is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon a participant in the work of DVB and recognizes significant individuals who have made sustained and substantial contributions over many years. 

First signatory

Phil Laven was one of DVB’s founding fathers. He was the first signatory of the DVB Memorandum of Understanding in 1993 as a representative of the BBC, where he held the most senior technical positions. He went on to become director of the EBU’s technology department, where the DVB Project Office is hosted, a position he held from 1997 to 2007. 

He was Chairman of DVB, representing the EBU, from 2008 until 2016. In addition to guiding the DVB Project, Phil has held senior positions in almost all the specification and standards organizations that have shaped the media industry today, including ETSI, WorldDAB, DAVIC, TV Anytime, and others.

As an individual, Phil has been an advocate of DVB’s way of working and an influential thought leader. His insights into the media industry have proved invaluable to markets and countries launching services and transitioning from analogue to digital TV, SDTV to HDTV and beyond.

Previous recipients of DVB Fellowship are:

• Ian Childs (2006)
• Theo Peek (2008)
• Daniel Sauvet-Goichon (2012)
• Ulrich Reimers (2012)
• John Bigeni (2013)
• Nick Wells (2017)

Photo: Phil Laven (left) was presented with the award by current DVB Chairman Peter MacAvock