Meet a few of the women who help to create exceptional experiences for our customers

Some pretty remarkable women work at Christie. With a wide range of experience and expertise, they help bring our products to market, shape what we create, and support our customers to create experiences that inspire.  

And in honor of International Women’s Day, we meet a few of the women of Christie. From Ulku Kiziltan, who celebrates 25 years at Christie this year, to three of our newer recruits, including Nuria Marin, who recently joined our team in Spain, you’ll get a healthy dose of inspiration from their stories.  

Whether you already work in the AV industry and are curious about different roles and backgrounds or want to learn more about the industry and how our employees got their start, read on. 

How did you get into the AV industry?

For many of us, it wasn’t necessarily a straight path from school to a job in AV. And for Victoria McClung, that was most definitely the case. Victoria is an engineering QA specialist at Christie and joined the company in 2021. Before that, she worked for a real estate software company but was ready for her next challenge. 

“My dad worked with AV solutions, so I was well aware of the industry,” says Victoria “I always had an interest in AV, so when I saw the job posting, I knew I had to apply.”  

However, for Nuria Marin, field application engineer, working in AV has always been her plan. “Since I was a teenager, I’ve been interested in AV,” says Nuria. “Going to concerts or live events, I have always been amazed at how the visual aspects of the show are set up.” Nuria completed her degree in communication, followed by hands-on work in AV in a post-graduate program. Upon completion, she quickly found a job at Puy de Fou, an award-winning historical theme park in Spain that uses Christie projectors. Nuria worked backstage to maintain the park’s AV equipment and later worked in the video and effects department. 

Ulku Kiziltan, director of design validation, immigrated to Canada from Turkey two years after she completed her bachelor’s degree in electronics. Shortly after she arrived in Canada, Ulku joined Christie as a manufacturing engineer. AV wasn’t always a part of her plan, but it worked out that way – and she’s glad it did. “I wanted to stay in electronics, and everyone I met talked very highly of Electrohome, so I applied for the role,” she adds. “And over the past 25 years, I’ve enjoyed learning about the various facets of AV.” [Ed. note: Christie acquired Electrohome in 1999.] 

Margaret Malton, systems engineer, started in the AV industry before she even graduated from university – as a co-op student on the Advanced Research and Collaboration (ARC) team at Christie. “My program [in university] was systems design engineering, which is not a common program,” explains Margaret. “It's a combination of technical hands-on skills as well as design skills.” This unique skillset was a great fit for the ARC team – so much so that Margaret returned as a full-time employee after she graduated.  

What's your role at Christie?

Margaret joined Christie in June 2023. “My role changes depending on the project we’re working on,” says Margaret. “I’ll often research new ideas and topics, work on initial prototypes and tests, and physically construct projects.”  

Victoria does software testing for Mystique™, our automated camera-based alignment and recalibration solution for muti-projection systems. “It’s a really interesting role because our group does a lot of problem-solving,” says Victoria. “We work with customers to come up with solutions to issues they may experience with a project.” 

Ulku leads a team of people located in Kitchener, Canada and Shenzhen, China. Ulku manages the design validation of Christie solutions to ensure they conform to specifications and that our customers have a smooth user experience. “It’s a dynamic role, and I enjoy learning about new solutions. We’re at the cutting edge of technology,” says Ulku. 

“Since I was a teenager, I’ve been interested in AV. Going to concerts or live events, I have always been amazed at how the visual aspects of the show are set up.” – Nuria Marin, field application engineer.

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Nuria, who joined Christie only a few short months ago, jumped into learning our technology and solutions. “I provide technical support, and in the future, I’ll also assist with training and demos,” says Nuria.  

What advice would you offer to women who are interested in pursuing a career in AV? 

As a recent graduate, it comes as no surprise that Nuria advises other women who are interested in AV to “learn as much as possible and go for it”.  

Victoria echoes this advice. “Be curious and learn as much as you can because the industry and technology change so quickly.” 

Ulku mentors young women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and offers this advice: “I see many young women who don’t have the confidence to pursue a career in STEM or AV. My advice is to work on growing that confidence and know you are capable of a career of your choosing. Work hard to fulfill your goals.”