Executive profiles

CEO, Christie Digital Systems, Inc.

Takabumi Asahi is CEO of Christie Digital Systems, Inc. and brings over 30 years of experience to this role. After joining Ushio in 2017 as deputy general manager, he has held positions of increasing responsibility, leading to managing executive officer and chief financial officer. Before Ushio, Asahi acquired an engineering degree from Japan’s Chiba University and gained global business management experience in various innovative technology fields. He remains committed to Ushio’s mission to promote the use of light as illumination and energy to support human well-being and societal growth through technology.

President and COO, Christie Digital Systems, Inc.

As president and chief operating officer, officer for Christie Digital Systems, Inc., and its subsidiaries (Christie Digital Systems Canada Inc., and Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc.), Mike Phipps brings his extensive experience along with his deep understanding of the industry and Christie’s operations to these roles.

Since joining Christie in 2008, Mike has been an integral part of the company and is known for his exceptional leadership in his roles as vice president of finance, and chief financial officer. Prior to Christie, he led teams as a plant financial manager and controller.

Throughout his career, Mike has developed a firm belief in working as a cohesive team and the importance of understanding how financial results stem from effective operational execution. 

Mike holds a BA in finance from Michigan State University and is a Certified Public Accountant. 

CFO, Christie Digital Systems, Inc.

Hideaki brings more than 34 years of experience working at Christie’s parent company, Ushio. As chief financial officer at Christie, Hide (pronounced He-Day) brings a breadth of expertise and experience in business management and finance, having served as general manager of Ushio Group’s Business Management Division, overseeing three departments: Accounting, Finance, and Legal. During his tenure, he was responsible for strengthening Ushio Group’s governance and financial strategies for the company’s 2030 business growth strategy while enhancing capital efficiency.

Chief information & marketing officer

With more than 35 years in the movie exhibition industry, David’s held positions in information technology, operations, and marketing. David’s career revolves around customer experience and innovative uses of technology.

David joined Christie in December of 2018. Prior to Christie, David worked at Regal Entertainment Group for 16 years, where he held positions as VP, IT business planning, and chief information officer.

Prior to Regal, David was executive director and VP, sales and marketing, at a world-leading syndicator of movie and cinema information.

David started his career at Mann Theatres, where he worked his way up from usher to general manager, having managed some of the most prominent cinemas in Colorado and California.

Executive vice president, global sales & service

As executive vice president of global sales and service, Sean’s proven leadership, ability to foster strong, lasting relationships, and extensive experience in visual technologies and services uniquely position him to lead optimized operations that better serve our customers while ensuring long-term sustainability.

With more than 28 years of experience at Christie, Sean, who started his career as a field engineer servicing cinema equipment, was instrumental in developing support programs and relationships with many leading Hollywood studios as they transitioned to digital cinema. He helped deploy the world’s first large-scale digital cinema deployment of nearly 4,000 screens across the U.S. and led the development of Christie’s first Network Operations Center (NOC), expanding it globally. Sean previously led Christie’s Enterprise and Entertainment division and has played a key role in driving Christie’s expansion in both markets. His insights over the years have strengthened the company’s reputation as a global leader in AV solutions for cinema, themed entertainment, government, and live & public events.

Executive vice president, Broadcast & Professional Video

As EVP for Broadcast & Professional Video, Clark Williams is responsible for all engineering and product management resources for Christie's content management and processing products, including Christie Spyder-S Series, Spyder X80, Mastering Gateway, and Phoenix^®.

Building on the success of Christie’s content management and image processing portfolios, Clark’s team of high-performing experts from the fields of content creation, programming, media storage, rendering and playback, and real-time compositing are redefining the landscape with the development of solutions tailored for customers in markets such as rental and staging, live event, broadcast, post-production, sports venues, oil and gas, and automotive design.

Prior to joining Christie, Clark founded Vista Systems to meet a demand he saw for video processing and windowing hardware tools.

In July 2007, Christie acquired Vista Systems, and Clark joined as vice president for windowing and compositing solutions. This allowed Clark to focus on high-end image processing products while taking advantage of Christie’s sales strength and global footprint.

Executive Vice President – legal affairs & human resources

Robert Ranucci brings more than 30 years of experience to his role as EVP, general counsel of the Christie Group of Companies​. In this role, Robert is responsible for all legal matters that affect the Christie Group of Companies and he oversees​ Christie’s legal team of attorneys and legal specialists. Robert is also responsible for human resources, globally.

Before joining Christie in December 2014, Robert gained more than 14 years of experience in the lighting and display industry, with tenure as VP, general counsel, at VIZIO, ViewSonic, General Displays & Technologies (a GE joint venture), as well as senior director of licensing and business development for the Rambus’ LED lighting and display technology division. In addition to his corporate and litigation background, Robert is experienced in leveraging innovative supply chains, customer channels, and licensing arrangements to solve complex challenges and drive successful outcomes.

Robert is a faculty member of the Advanced Licensing Agreements program offered by Practising Law Institute. Robert received his bachelor’s degree in economics at Claremont McKenna College and earned his MA, economics, and juris doctorate from the University of Southern California. He is a member of the bar in California and Ari​zona.

President, Nationwide Video

Bret Tracey is president of Nationwide Video (Nationwide) and is responsible for directing wholesale subrental sales and operations in North America. Nationwide is a leader in creative, alternative video equipment rental solutions for the ProAV industry, from time-saving gear casing solutions to freight-free shipping.

Acquired in 2003, Nationwide now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Christie. Nationwide operates in Canada and the U.S. and provides rental equipment, 24/7/365 customer and technical support, and technical training to AV staging professionals.

Bret joined Nationwide in 1999, as the director of sales, marketing, and business development, became VP in 2003, and was promoted to president in 2009. Bret has seen Nationwide grow from a two-man operation in a 1,200ft2 office to a 40-employee organization with six offices across the U.S. His detailed attention to operational improvements, staff growth, and improved inventorying have seen Nationwide revenues increase by at least 30% year over year.

Bret graduated with honors and distinction, Honorable Discharge Hospital Corps., U.S. Navy (Naval School Health Sciences), and attended Ferris State University in Michigan.