Areal has appointed François Villaret as Chief Executive Officer, with Michel Janssens – Areal’s first hire and a central figure in the company’s development from an early stage – will continue alongside Villaret in the newly formalised role of COO.
Formalising a relationship that began when he joined the company as a strategic advisor in 2025, Villaret brings extensive experience in spatial audio, go-to-market strategy and international commercial development. Prior to joining Areal, he spent seven years as Head of Business Development at immersive loudspeaker manufacturer Holoplot, joining when it was a six-person team and serving as a management team member as the business grew to more than 130 strong.
During that time, he worked across go-to-market strategy, partnerships and commercial expansion, helping develop opportunities across live sound, experiential entertainment and other professional audio markets. His experience spans landmark projects including Sphere in Las Vegas, major houses of worship and Holoplot’s expansion into live sound, including Tomorrowland, where he first collaborated with the Areal team.
Since joining Areal, Villaret has worked with the team and shareholders on the company’s organisation and go-to-market strategy. During this period, the SR1 portable spatial reference system that enables engineers to monitor multichannel sessions up to 7.1.4 on headphones, and the Upmix Engine that spreads stereo sources across multi-speaker live systems in real time, progressed from beta testing to commercial launch, alongside the expansion of Areal’s distribution network across Europe and into new markets. His appointment comes as the company enters its next phase, expanding its international footprint and product portfolio while strengthening the foundations to build a sustainable technology and professional audio company.
‘Over the past few years, I’ve been impressed by the talent of the Areal team and the remarkable level of innovation behind our technology,’ Villaret says. ‘We have a real opportunity to make immersive audio more accessible and practical for the market, and I’m excited to continue building with the team as we take Areal into its next growth phase.’
I first got to know François through his work with Holoplot at Tomorrowland, so there was already a strong connection with the world we’re working in,’ adds Pieter Doms, co-founder of Areal. ‘Since he joined Areal as an advisor, he’s helped us bring two products to market, added a lot more structure to the way we work and brought valuable experience and connections across the industry. He gets involved wherever he can add value, and I think that combination of experience and practical input is exactly what we need for the next stage.’
More: https://areal.world