Areal names François Villaret as CEO

Areal has appointed François Villaret as chief executive officer, formalising a relationship that began when he joined the company as a strategic advisor in July 2025. The appointment brings the former Holoplot head of business development into a full-time role as Areal develops its spatial audio technology and international operations.

Villaret spent seven years at immersive loudspeaker manufacturer Holoplot, joining when it was a six-person team and serving as a member of the management team as the business grew to more than 130 people. His experience includes go-to-market strategy, partnerships and commercial development across live sound, experiential entertainment and professional audio.

During his time at Holoplot, Villaret worked on projects including Sphere in Las Vegas, houses of worship and the company’s expansion into live sound. He first collaborated with the Areal team through the Tomorrowland festival.

Areal’s portfolio includes the SR1 portable spatial reference system, which enables engineers to monitor multichannel sessions up to 7.1.4 on headphones, and the Upmix Engine, which expands stereo sources across multispeaker live systems in real time.

Since joining the Belgian manufacturer as an advisor, Villaret has worked with the team and shareholders on organisational and go-to-market strategy. During this period, SR1 and the Upmix Engine progressed from beta testing to commercial launch, alongside the expansion of Areal’s distribution network across Europe and into new markets.

“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 said. “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.”

Pieter Doms, cofounder of Areal, added: “I’m really happy to have François on board as CEO. I first got to know him through his work with Holoplot at Tomorrowland, so there was already a strong connection with the world we’re working in. 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.”

Michel Janssens, Areal’s first hire, will continue alongside Villaret as chief operating officer.