Dr. Saptharishi most recently served as senior vice president, analytics and data science at Avigilon and has been with the company since its acquisition of Videoiq Inc. in January 2014.  He brings a deep understanding of intelligent video analytics technologies as well as experience creating new products and leading successful teams. The appointment is effective immediately; Dr. Saptharishi will continue to report directly to Bryan Schmode, Avigilon’s chief operating officer.

Dr. Saptharishi has over 17 years of experience developing intelligent video analytics technology as well as software and camera hardware specifically for the security industry. Prior to joining Avigilon earlier this year, Dr. Saptharishi was president, chief technology officer and co-founder of Videoiq, Inc. Dr. Saptharishi also co-founded and led the core analytics team at Broad Reach Technologies, Inc., where he was vice president of research & development. A highly respected thought leader in the surveillance industry, Dr. Saptharishi received his doctorate in machine learning from Carnegie Mellon University, where he was involved in research on autonomously navigating vehicles at the Robotics Institute and the Institute for Complex Engineering Systems. He has also authored multiple peer reviewed scientific publications, articles and patents.

"As Avigilon continues to push the boundaries in the video surveillance market to enable global customers to improve security, efficiency and decision-making, we depend on visionary leaders like Mahesh to develop innovative new products that leverage the most cutting-edge technologies. I am very excited that Mahesh will serve as Avigilon’s CTO. He is a pioneer with a proven track record of developing innovative new products and solutions,” said Bryan Schmode, chief operating officer, Avigilon. "In the security industry, we need to stay 10 steps ahead so we are constantly delivering the innovation our customers need to keep their assets and people secure and to make better business decisions. The future of Avigilon is bright and we will continue to lead the security industry with our forward-thinking technology and products.”

As CTO, Dr. Saptharishi will be responsible for driving innovation in Avigilon’s product and intellectual property portfolios, identifying strategic technology capabilities, and exploring new business opportunities. His primary focus will be to strengthen and extend Avigilon’s end-to-end solutions by developing advanced technologies that will continue to digitise the physical world, enabling customers to make sophisticated, informed decisions about their surroundings.