High Tech - Barco CEO An Steegen Honored on Variety’s 2025 Women’s Impact Report 

By Mulder, 10 december 2025

In an industry where technological advancement and visionary leadership increasingly define the future of filmgoing, Barco’s CEO An Steegen has earned a spotlight on Variety’s prestigious 2025 Women’s Impact Report, an annual ranking that honors the most influential women shaping entertainment, media, and technological innovation worldwide. The recognition, announced in Los Angeles on December 10, 2025, stands as both a personal accolade and a broader signal of Barco’s rising impact in the global cinema landscape under An Steegen’s strategic direction.

Since joining Barco as co-CEO in 2021 and becoming sole CEO in 2024, An Steegen has driven a transformation that redefines the cinematic experience for audiences and exhibitors alike, accelerating the adoption of laser projection technology and laying the groundwork for new premium formats. Central to this evolution is Laser by Barco, the company’s flagship projection system that, under her watch, has secured widespread adoption: in North America alone, five of the top six cinema chains—including AMC, Cinemark, Cinepolis, Regal Cinemas, and Cineplex—are transitioning their auditoriums to Barco’s laser-based systems, a level of industry penetration that underscores both commercial success and technological resonance among exhibitors.

But An Steegen’s influence extends beyond hardware alone. She has been the key force behind HDR by Barco, a premium cinema format powered by Barco’s proprietary Lightsteering technology, which entered the market after select previews in late 2024 and an official launch in January 2025. In its first six months in active release, HDR by Barco rapidly gained traction among major chain partners: Regal Cinemas and Alamo Drafthouse rolled out expansion plans across the United States, while Vue Cinemas selected HDR by Barco as the preferred technology for its new EPIC premium large format screens in Europe, with further installations slated in Germany and India. Exhibitors and audiences alike have praised the format’s enhanced brightness, contrast and color precision, aligning with broader industry trends toward premium viewing experiences.

Industry observers have pointed to these developments as evidence of Barco’s leadership in a segment where innovation is a competitive differentiator. Variety noted that as moviegoers increasingly seek elevated visual quality, exhibitors are aggressively pursuing technologies that can meet this demand—and Barco’s laser and HDR solutions “are leading that race,” with early filmmaker and audience feedback validating the promise of what the company describes as groundbreaking image quality.

An Steegen’s achievements carry an added layer of significance given the challenges women often face in technology leadership. As one of the few female CEOs in a sector historically dominated by male executives, she has been a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion in STEM fields. Her initiatives at Barco include the Women in Technology campaign, structured mentorship programs, and progressive workplace policies designed to support flexible hours, remote work, and parental leave—efforts aimed not only at fostering equitable opportunity within Barco but at influencing broader cultural change within the tech community.

Under her stewardship, Barco’s strategic vision has also expanded beyond cinema; according to company communications and industry engagement, An Steegen has forged key partnerships with global technology leaders such as Microsoft and NVIDIA, positioning Barco at the intersection of visualization technology and digital transformation across sectors. The company’s commitment to sustainability and cutting-edge software development, echoed in market-wide designs for eco-labeling and AI-driven solutions, further cements its role as a multifaceted innovator in visual technologies.

Headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium, Barco remains a global technology leader in visualization, networking, and collaboration solutions that span healthcare, enterprise, and entertainment markets, with over 3,000 employees contributing to its ongoing evolution. Financially, the company reported strong sales performance in 2024, illustrating that its technological advancements are matched by solid commercial momentum.

The inclusion of An Steegen on Variety’s 2025 Women’s Impact Report thus stands as a testament not only to her individual leadership but to Barco’s deeper influence on how audiences around the world experience cinema—proof that strategic vision, meaningful innovation, and commitment to inclusive leadership can shape both the industry’s technology roadmap and its human dynamics.

(Source : press release)