Our working group and committee members make Bluetooth technology the best it can be.
Working groups have been the driving force behind Bluetooth® technology, delivering innovations that help make the Internet of Things (IoT) a reality.
Every year, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) celebrates the hard work and commitment of working groups, committee members, and contributors who have been recognized by their peers as making a difference in advancing Bluetooth technology. Thank you to the winners, and to all of our working group and committee members, for their dedication and contribution this year.
Outstanding New Technical Contributor
Koorosh Akhavan
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Core Specification Working Group
Working with Qualcomm for nearly 20 years, Koorosh filled many leadership related to modem system design for various wireless technologies. Koorosh received his BS degree in electronic engineering from Sharif University of Technology and MS and PhD degrees in electronic engineering from Penn State University, University Park.
Christof Fersch
Dolby
Audio, Telephony, and Automotive (ATA) Working Group
As director of engineering, Christof leads Dolby‘s MPEG audio-related standardization efforts and has worked with the Audio, Telephony, and Automotive (ATA) Working Group since 2020. He led the addition of new AAC Object Types to the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) specification and its update to version 1.4, published in June 2022. Christof also serves in leadership positions in ISO/IEC standards.
Outstanding Technical Contributor
Andrew Estrada
Sony Electronics
Audio, Telephony, and Automotive (ATA) Working Group
With more than 20 years of experience working with Bluetooth® technology, Andrew has been involved in some of the most pivotal moments in Bluetooth SIG history. In that time, he has contributed to many Bluetooth projects, including gaming systems, 3D TV, and consumer audio. Andrew served as working group vice chair and is currently chair of the Audio, Telephony, and Automotive Working Group. He worked as project lead for the Telephony and Media Audio Profile (TMAP), recently adopted as part of the LE Audio set of specifications. He also served in leadership positions in other standards bodies, including IEEE, Wi-Fi, and ECMA.
Frank Berntsen
Nordic Semiconductor ASA
Human Interface Device Working Group
Co-founder and chief scientist of Nordic Semiconductor, Frank Berntsen is recognized for his outstanding IOP contributions toward validating the Battery Service 1.1 specification, contributing more than 35 percent of the results entered. Working with Bluetooth specifications since 2007, Frank has been acting as HID WG vice chair and co-authored the upcoming HID specifications.
Masahiko Seki
Sony Corporation
Generic Audio Working Group
As a wireless technical manager at Sony Corporation, Masahiko has worked with the Bluetooth SIG since 2005. His first contribution to Bluetooth® technology was the development of A/V Remote Control Profile (AVRCP 1.3). After that, he got involved in the development of many audio-related specifications. Over the past six years, Masahiko made many contributions to the LE Audio specifications. He also serves as a chair of the Bluetooth ATA Sub Working Group at Mobile Computing Promotion Consortium.
Piotr Winiarczyk
Silvair
Mesh Devices Working Group
A wireless solutions architect at Silvair with 18 years of experience working in the telecommunication and software industries, Piotr specializes in developing Bluetooth mesh technology for commercial lighting systems. Piotr enjoys solving complex problems and then optimizing solutions to make them simpler. Piotr completed his Ph.D. in Physics and, in his free time, likes to ski, bike, and play board games with his family.
Clive Feather
Samsung
Core Specification Working Group
A long-standing expert in computer networking, Clive has been working with Bluetooth® technology since 2009. He is well known for his keen attention to detail and has raised more than 2,000 errata (including erratum 10,000) during his tenure. In 2019, Clive accepted a position as one of the Core Specification Working Group vice chairs. In 2020, he had a book published about the London Underground.
SIG Appreciation Award
Nick Hunn
WiFore Consulting
Hearing Aid Working Group
Founder and CTO of WiFore Consulting, Nick has more than years of experience working with short-range wireless communications, designing technology that helps to bring mobility to a wide range of products – particularly in the areas of telematics, M2M, smart energy, LPWAN, wearables, hearables, and mobile health. He coined the word hearables and currently chairs the Hearing Aid Working Group within the Bluetooth SIG.
Nick has been closely involved with the Bluetooth SIG, the Continua Health Alliance, the ZigBee Alliance, and other medical, smart energy, and standards groups. He is the author of “Introducing Bluetooth LE Audio” and regularly writes about technology on his blog.
Outstanding IOP Contributor Appreciation Award
Yao Wang,
Barrot Technology Limited
Audio, Telephony, and Automotive Working Group
Recognized for his outstanding IOP contributions toward the validation of the Telephony and Media Profile and Public Broadcast Profile specifications, Yao contributed more than 40 percent of the results entered.
A software engineer with the Barrot Bluetooth® Software Team, Yao worked with Bluetooth Technology for more than 17 years. Focused on implementing new protocols and profile specifications to provide implementor feedback to help improve specifications in development, Yao has contributed to the Bluetooth Core Specification, Mesh, Hearing Aid, and Audio, Telephony, and Automotive Working Groups.
The Qualcomm Team
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Generic Audio Working Group
The team from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. – Sushil Deka, Shitiz Kumar, Prashant Agrawal, Parameshwar Kengond, Harish Kumar S, Tarun Goswami, Lucrezia Fanizzi, Pascal Chapelot, Stratos Chatzikyriakos, Mohammed Saleem Khan, Anantha Krishna, Hendrik Cordier and Neil Hodgson – is recognized for their outstanding IOP contributions toward the validation of the Basic Audio and Common Audio Profile and Service specifications., having contributed more than 25 percent of the results entered.
Codecoup Le Audio Team
Codecoup
Hearing Aid Working Group
Recognized for their outstanding IOP contributions toward the validation of the Hearing Access Profile and Service specification, the Codecoup Le Audio Team contributed more than 20 percent of the results entered.
The Codecoup Le Audio Team – senior software engineers: Grzegorz Kołodziejczyk, Jakub Tyszkowski, and Mariusz Skamra – have more than six years’ experience working with Bluetooth® technology. Regularly contributing to Open Source Bluetooth projects and participating in IOPs and UPFs, since 2019, they have supported LE Audio specification development and prototype implementations for interoperability testing.
Roche Diabetes Care IOP Team
F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG
Medical Devices Working Group
Recognized for their outstanding IOP contributions toward validating the Bluetooth SIG Authorization Control Profile (ACP) & Service (ACS), the Roche Diabetes Care IOP team – Christoph Fischer, Christian-Alexander Luszick, Craig Carlson, David Sempsrott, Rick Wilson, and Robert Sabo – from F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG contributed more than 50 percent of the results entered.
Christoph, lead principal system architect and product cybersecurity specialist at Roche Diabetes Care, contributed as the lead author of ACP/ACS and leads the Roche Diabetes Care IOP team. During the IOP, he ensured that specifications, test cases, and implementations aligned, and, with the great support of all involved participants, the IOP was completed in a week.
The Telink Mesh Team
Telink Semiconductor (Shanghai) Co., Ltd
Mesh Working Group
The Telink Mesh Team is recognized for their outstanding IOP contributions toward the validation of the Mesh Profile 1.1 enhancements and Device Firmware Update specification. The team contributed more than 25 percent of the results entered.
A fabless IC design company of state-of-the-art wireless connectivity SoCs, Telink Semiconductor maintains a comprehensive product portfolio and is a leading IC supplier in the field.
Frank Berntsen
Nordic Semiconductor ASA
Human Interface Device Working Group
Frank Berntsen from Nordic Semiconductor ASA is recognized for their outstanding IOP contributions toward the validation of the Battery Service 1.1 specification. They contributed over 35% of the results entered.
Co-founder and Chief Scientist of Nordic Semiconductor, Frank has been working with Bluetooth specifications since the start of Bluetooth LE in 2007 and is currently acting as HID WG vice chair and is co-author of upcoming HID specifications.
Bluetooth SIG appreciation – Recognition of IOP Participation
Authorization Control Profile and Service
| Christian-BT Luszick F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG |
Christoph Fischer F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG |
Craig Carlson F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG |
David Sempsrott F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG |
Rick Wilson F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG |
Robert Sabo F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG |
| Gerrit Niezen Tidepool Project |
Nathaniel Hamming Tidepool Project |
Tapani Otala Tidepool Project |
Basic Audio Profile
| Yao Wang Barrot Technology Limited |
Sherry Smith Broadcom Corporation |
Grzegorz Kolodziejczyk Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
Mariusz Skamra Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
Jakub Tyszkowski Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
Łukasz Rymanowski Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
| Sreeram Tatapudi Infineon Technologies AG |
Sahana DN Infineon Technologies AG |
Hardikkumar Chauhan Infineon Technologies AG |
Luiz Von Dentz Intel Corporation |
Ella Chu Microchip Technology Incorporated |
Charlie Lee Microchip Technology Incorporated |
| Nidhi S Venkatesh MindTree Limited |
Badrinarayanan K MindTree Limited |
Anil Vutukuru MindTree Limited |
Harish Kumar S Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. |
Hendrik Cordier Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. |
Nagendra V Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. |
| Pascal Chapelot Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. |
Prashant Agrawal Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. |
Sushil Deka Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. |
Vasilis Michopoulos Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. |
Neil Hodgson Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. |
Battery Service 1.1
| Inga Stotland Intel Corporation |
Frank Berntsen Nordic Semiconductor ASA |
Common Audio Profile
| Yao Wang Barrot Technology Limited |
Sherry Smith Broadcom Corporation |
Grzegorz Kolodziejczyk Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
Jakub Tyszkowski Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
Łukasz Rymanowski Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
Hardikkumar Chauhan Infineon Technologies AG |
| Nidhi S Venkatesh MindTree Limited |
Badrinarayanan K MindTree Limited |
Anil Vutukuru MindTree Limited |
Harish Kumar S Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. |
Hearing Access Profile and Service
| Yao Wang Barrot Technology Limited |
Grzegorz Kolodziejczyk Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
Mariusz Skamra Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
Jakub Tyszkowski Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
Łukasz Rymanowski Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
Thorkild Pedersen GN Hearing A/S |
| Oktay Baris GN Hearing A/S |
Naveen M N |
Public Broadcast Profile
| Yao Wang Barrot Technology Limited |
Sherry Smith Broadcom Corporation |
Laurent Trarieux CEVA-Riveriawaves |
Grzegorz Kolodziejczyk Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
Jakub Tyszkowski Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
Łukasz Rymanowski Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
| Thorkild Pedersen GN Hearing A/S |
Telephony and Media Audio Profile
| Yao Wang Barrot Technology Limited |
Sherry Smith Broadcom Corporation |
Laurent Trarieux CEVA-Riveriawaves |
Grzegorz Kolodziejczyk Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
Jakub Tyszkowski Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
Łukasz Rymanowski Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
| Efstratios Chatzikyriakos Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. |
Parameshwar Kengond Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. |
Prashant Agrawal Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. |
Sushil Deka Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. |
Mesh Device Firmware Update
Mesh Profile Enhancements ( CBP, ENH, EPA, PRB, SBR)
| Michal Narajowski Codecoup sp. z o.o. |
Espressif Systems (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. | Mike Weng Infineon Technologies AG |
Badrinarayanan K MindTree Limited |
Peter Kozar Silicon Laboratories |
Piotr Winiarczyk Silvair, Inc. |
| Telink Semiconductor (Shanghai) Co., Ltd | Chirag Kharwar Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. |
Jagdeep Kumar Hans Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. |
Past Winners
2021
| Recipient Name | Member Company | Category | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sophia Feil | Expleo Germany GmbH | Outstanding New Technical Contributor | Audio, Telephony, and Automotive Working Group |
| Qing An | Alibaba Group | Outstanding New Technical Contributor | Mesh Working Group |
| Andrew Estrada | Sony Corporation | Outstanding Technical Contributor | Audio, Telephony, and Automotive Working Group |
| Chris Church | Qualcomm | Outstanding Technical Contributor | Generic Audio Working Group |
| Angel Polo | Broadcom Incorporated | Outstanding Technical Contributor | Core Specification Working Group |
| Piotr Winiarczyk | Silvair, Inc. | Outstanding Technical Contributor | Mesh Working Group |
| Szymon Slupik | Silvair, Inc. | Outstanding Technical Contributor | Mesh Working Group |
| Alicia Courtney | Broadcom | Bluetooth SIG appreciation – Working Group Contributor | BTI & BQRB Working Group |
2020
| Recipient Name | Member Company | Category | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pouria Zand | Cypress Semiconductor Corporation | Outstanding New Technical Contributor | Core Specification Working Group |
| Piergiuseppe Di Marco | Silvair, Inc. | Outstanding New Technical Contributor | Mesh Working Group |
| Andrew Estrada | Sony Corporation | Outstanding Technical Contributor of the Year | Audio, Telephony, and Automotive Working Group |
| Jori Rintahaka | Silicon Laboratories | Outstanding Technical Contributor of the Year | Mesh Working Group |
| Tomas Motos | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Outstanding Technical Contributor of the Year | Core Specification Working Group |
| Chris Church | Qualcomm | Outstanding Technical Contributor of the Year | Generic Audio Working Group |
| Piotr Winiarczyk | Silvair, Inc. | Outstanding Technical Contributor of the Year | Mesh Working Group |
| Asbjørn Saebø | Nordic Semiconductor ASA | Bluetooth SIG appreciation – Working Group Contributor | Generic Audio Working Group |
2019
| Recipient Name | Member Company | Category | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayank Batra | Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. | Working Group/Committee Chair of the Year | Core Specification Working Group |
| Szymon Slupik | Silvair, Inc. | Working Group/Committee Chair of the Year | Mesh Working Group |
| Mesh Working Group | n/a | Working Group of the Year | Mesh Working Group |
| Danilo Blasi | STMicroelectronics | Outstanding Technical Contributor of the Year | Mesh Working Group |
| Kanji Kerai | Sivantos GmbH | Outstanding Technical Contributor of the Year | Core Specification Working Group |
| Ravi Bamidi | Silvair, Inc. | Outstanding New Contributor in Bluetooth SIG Groups | Mesh Working Group |
| Robert Hughes | Intel Corporation | Chairman’s Award | n/a |
2018
| Recipient Name | Member Company | Category | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayank Batra | Qualcomm | Working Group/Committee Chair of the Year | Core Specification Working Group |
| Mesh Working Group | n/a | Working Group of the Year Award | Mesh Working Group |
| Piotr Winiarczyk | Silvair, Inc. | Outstanding Technical Contributor of the Year Award | Mesh Working Group |
| Himanshu Bhalla | Intel Corporation | Outstanding New Contributor to Bluetooth SIG Groups | Generic Audio Working Group |
| Felix Bootz | F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG | Key Contributor to Reconnection Configuration Profile and Service | Medical Devices Working Group |
| Harald Prinzhorn | F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG | Key Contributor to Insulin Delivery Profile and Service | Medical Devices Working Group |
2017
| Recipient Name | Member Company | Category | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Redding | Qualcomm | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Bluetooth Core Specification 5 & Core Specification Supplement 7 | Core Specification Working Group |
| Clive Feather | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Bluetooth Core Specification 5 & Core Specification Supplement 7, For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Bluetooth Core Specification Addendum 6 and For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Errata Service Release 10 | Core Specification Working Group |
| Gerard Harbers | Xicato Inc. | Outstanding New Contributor in Bluetooth SIG Groups and For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Mesh Device Properties 1.0 | Mesh Working Group |
| Guillaume Schatz | EM MICROELECTRONIC MARIN SA | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Fitness Machine Profile and Service | Sports & Fitness Working Group |
| Joel Linsky | Qualcomm | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Bluetooth Core Specification Addendum 6 and For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Bluetooth Core Specification 5 & Core Specification Supplement 7 | Core Specification Working Group |
| Leif-Alexandre Aschehoug | Nordic Semiconductor ASA | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Fitness Machine Profile and Service and For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of GATT Specification Supplement | Sports & Fitness Working Group |
| Michael Ungstrup | Widex A/S | Outstanding New Contributor in Bluetooth SIG Groups | Hearing Aid Working Group |
| Olivia Bellamou-Huet | Assystem | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Message Access Profile 1.4 | Audio, Telephony, and Automotive Working Group |
| Piotr Winiarczyk | Silvair, Inc. | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Mesh Profile Specification 1.0 and For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Mesh Model Specification 1.0 | Mesh Working Group and Architectural Review Board |
| Robert Hughes | Intel Corporation | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Mesh Profile Specification 1.0 | Mesh Working Group |
| Robin Heydon | Qualcomm | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Mesh Profile Specification 1.0 and For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Mesh Device Properties 1.0 | Mesh Working Group and Architectural Review Board |
| Szymon Slupik | Silvair, Inc. | Working Group/Committee Chair of the Year, Working Group of the Year Award, Outstanding Technical Contributor of the Year Award and For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Mesh Model Specification 1.0 | Mesh Working Group |
| Tomas Motos | Texas Instruments Incorporated | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Bluetooth Core Specification 5 & Core Specification Supplement 7 | Core Specification Working Group |
2016
| Recipient Name | Member Company | Category | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mesh Working Group (Szymon and Bob) | Working Group of the Year | Mesh Working Group | |
| Robert Hughes | Intel Corporation | Working Group/Committee Chair of the Year | Mesh Working Group |
| Brian Redding | Qualcomm | Outstanding Technical Contributor of the Year | Core Specification Working Group |
| Szymon Slupik | Seed Labs Inc. | Outstanding Technical Contributor of the Year | Mesh Working Group |
| Olivia Bellamou-Huet | Berner & Mattner Systemtechnik GmbH | Outstanding New Contributor in Bluetooth SIG Groups | Audio, Telephony and Automotive & Sports and Fitness Working Groups |
| Sam Geeraerts | NXP Semiconductors | Outstanding New Contributor in Bluetooth SIG Groups | Core Specification Working Group |
| Joel Linsky | Qualcomm | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Core Specification Addendum 5 | Core Specification Working Group |
| Robert Hughes | Intel Corporation | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Transport Discovery Service | Discovery of Things Working Group |
| Jingu Choi | LG Electronics Inc. | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Transport Discovery Service | Discovery of Things Working Group |
| Chris Church | Qualcomm | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Transport Discovery Service | Discovery of Things Working Group |
| Casper Bonde | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Message Access Profile 1.3 | Audio, Telephony and Automotive Working Group |
| Dominik Sollfrank | Berner & Mattner Systemtechnik GmbH | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Message Access Profile 1.3 | Audio, Telephony and Automotive Working Group |
| Guillaume Schatz | Polar Electro Oy | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Cycling Power Profile & Service 1.1 | Sports and Fitness Working Group |
| Laurence Richardson | Qualcomm | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Object Transfer Profile & Service | Sports and Fitness Working Group |
| Guillaume Schatz | Polar Electro Oy | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Object Transfer Profile & Service | Sports and Fitness Working Group |
| Robert Hughes | Intel Corporation | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Object Transfer Profile & Service | Sports and Fitness Working Group |
| Leif-Alexandre Aschehoug | Nordic Semiconductor ASA | For Outstanding Contributions to the Adoption of Object Transfer Profile & Service | Sports and Fitness Working Group |