Sandra Marcus named Vice President Marketing, as team prepares for hyper-growth as trusted accessibility partner
We’re on a mission to right a wrong.
The disability divide is real and we’re working to help close it. Disability is part of being human. Almost everyone will temporarily or permanently experience disability at some point in their life. No one should suffer the isolating impact of that divide.
As estimated by the W.H.O., over 1 billion people – about 15% of the global population – currently experience disability. This number is increasing due in part to population aging and an increase in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases often resulting in chronic health conditions.
Assistive technology enables people with a disability to live healthy, productive, independent, and dignified lives, and to participate in education, in the employment market and everyday life, all on their own terms.
As a veteran of technology and software, having spent the majority of my career at IBM defining new software categories, building communities and creating partner ecosystems, I joined Aira because I fell in love with the mission and the opportunity to use technology for social good.
Working for a mission driven company is a gift, and if your belief system is reflected in that mission, it’s a double gift. One of my beliefs is that everyone has a disability, some are obvious, others are not.
Aira represents a uniquely personal opportunity to bring my years of marketing experience to Aira to build a two-sided ecosystem of partner providers and a community of fanatically enthusiastic individuals, and make certain the world knows about our life-changing assistive technology, first the blind and low vision community, eventually others who will all benefit from visual interpreting.
“As we accelerate our growth, Sandra’s energy, innovative perspectives, and track record of success will be assets for this next phase of the company.” said Troy Otillio, CEO, Aira. “She will oversee the implementation of strategic accommodations and education initiatives that further establish Aira as a trusted accessibility partner.”
In mission-driven companies, the entire organization is obsessed with the need to solve the problem. The mission has a direct impact on the company and product; the product gets better as a result of the mission. Joining Troy Otillio, CEO, and Kevin Phelan, Chief Commercial Officer, Aira is leading the digital transformation of assistive technology.