High Tech - Dolby : portrait of Anaïs Libolt Head of Home Entertainment Dolby France

By Mulder, 02 march 2023

Dolby Laboratories is based in San Francisco and has offices around the world. From movies and TV shows to mobile applications, music, sports and video games, Dolby transforms the science of sound and image into exceptional experiences for billions of people around the globe. Artists, writers, developers, businesses... we're working with everyone in the creative world to revolutionize entertainment and communication with Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, Dolby Cinema and Dolby.io. Dolby, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, Dolby Cinema, Dolby.io and the double-D symbol are trademarks or registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

With the approach of the International Women's Rights Day, on March 8th, Anaïs Libolt gives us her impressions and advices to succeed as a Woman in New Technologies

Q: Can you present your career path and your current position at Dolby as a woman ?

Anaïs Libolt: I am the Home Entertainment Manager at Dolby. I am a trained sound engineer. I studied at the École Louis Lumière in the sound section, more focused on cinema, preceded by a preparatory course and a degree in physics. I also learned classical music and have been playing the French horn since I was very young. At the end of my studies, I realized́ a dissertation oriented towards technologies dedicated to multichannel sound in television, which dealt with Dolby Digital metadata. From a professional project that was more to work in mixing, I found myself caught up in broadcast where there was a need for my knowledge. Before joining Dolby, I worked for Canal+, TF1, Arte and after a few years, I had become a "Dolby expert". I became a specialist in certain fields such as loudness in television broadcasting (sound levels), which allowed me to be in contact with many people involved in the content production and broadcasting chain. I was hired in 2010 at Dolby on a rather open position dedicated to television, as the first French employee. Over time, my scope has expanded to Home Entertainment, i.e. broadcast, home theater, music, gaming... and includes audio and video technologies. My main role is to manage partnerships in order to promote the adoption of Dolby technologies in content and services. I interact with technical, sales and marketing people. I am responsible for the entire Home Entertainment sector, i.e. audiovisual content, television, record and album releases, streaming, music, video games... I cover France and French-speaking countries.

Q: What do you like most about working for a tech company? Why Dolby in particular ?

Anaïs Libolt: What is interesting is the perpetual movement and the technological advances. At Dolby, several technologies have been developed for different worlds. At the beginning, we were only talking about 5.1 sound for cinema and audiovisuals. Now we're also talking about HDR images, Dolby Atmos immersive sound, music, gaming, and even more recently automotive. It's exciting to contribute to the improvement of sound and image technologies in conjunction with our partners. I have a particular affection for everything that has to do with popularization and transmission, gaining expertise on a subject and being able to make it easy to understand.

Q: As a team leader and manager, how would you describe yourself ?

Anaïs Libolt: I learned professionally with respectful people, promoting trust and autonomy, that influenced me a lot. I tend to think that good communication is the basis of teamwork and I value moments of exchange. I want to respect everyone's time by giving priority to concise and effective presentations, which does not prevent planned or informal, group or individual exchanges, precisely to leave room for this freer communication that makes things run more smoothly... For me, "soft skills" or interpersonal skills are just as important as technical skills.

Q: Do you think there are still obstacles to the success of women working in the new technologies sector? And what advice would you give to women who want to make a career in this field ?

Anaïs Libolt: I notice that this is less and less the case. And that more and more women hold high positions, key roles in French or international companies. On the other hand, as a woman expert in the new technologies sector, I would say that it is essential to have a solid technical know-how to be recognized and to evolve in a sector that we like. You certainly have to prove your expertise and legitimacy more than a man today. Both because the outside world demands it, but also because women are more prone to impostor syndrome than men! But there is no reason why a woman who masters her subject cannot succeed in tech. It's an asset in a team to have a diversity of thinking and personalities, and I think some managers understand that. If you don't see things the same way as your collaborators, explore what motivates your vision or your way of doing things so that you can bring an original and accessible contribution to others. Personally, I'm not comfortable with competitive situations where you have to fight for your place; the advice for women (and men!) is to approach the company like the crew of a ship: for it to work well, everyone has to be respectful of their place and that of others, while looking at the big picture.

Q: In your opinion, what can companies do to support and advance the careers of women working in new technologies ?

Anaïs Libolt: Offer regular training and integrate women in the company in a progressive career process, whether from a management, commercial or strategic point of view. Put forward "role models". Encourage diversity of candidates during recruitment. Enabling career adjustments during maternity leave. Societal changes well beyond the corporate world: value soft skills!

Q: How does Dolby integrate these elements in its strategy to make women evolve and be more inclusive ?

Anaïs Libolt: There are several groups of women within Dolby, which are part of the "Diversity and belonging" initiative. These groups induce a natural solidarity, but they also set up spaces for discussion, training and meeting times. There are also interviews with women published internally. Attention is paid to ensuring that equal opportunity is given to candidates from "diversity" when hiring. There are also initiatives to raise awareness among young women at university and technical schools. The fact that we are talking about this is in itself very positive. These are slow evolutions that require a change in mentalities, but also an encouragement of young women to take their place.

Q: What future do you see for Dolby ?

Anaïs Libolt: The company is almost 60 years old and has gone through several technological revolutions in entertainment. I have a lot of faith in its ability to innovate to allow the general public to enjoy movies, music, games... in the best conditions whatever the environment. I've done many demonstrations and each time, we find the stars in the eyes of the spectator who lives the emotion of a song, an action scene, a beautiful image. I still find it hard to explain simply what Dolby does, but if I had to sum it up in the extreme: the touch of magic that transports the viewer into the world of the creator!

(Source: press release)