Maryellen Oswald, the founder of Connected Design magazine and a continuing contributor to the publication, has joined Somfy as their Southwest Specifications & Partnership Business Development Manager. Her role is to cultivate, maintain and develop new levels of collaboration with partners that drive sales and specification opportunities. Oswald represents the Southwest territory and has the primary responsibility of building the Somfy Project Business Product group sales through specification and business development activity within the architectural and luxury residential communities.
“We are elated to welcome Maryellen Oswald to the Somfy team,” said Brittany Mier y Teran, Partnerships & CI Channel Manager. “Her multi-faceted skillset, tenacity and dedication are welcome additions as we grow our partnership and custom integration programs. Her intricate understanding of, and deep roots with, electronics in the occupied space will be an asset to not only our existing partners and customers, but those on the horizon as well.”
Prior to Somfy, Oswald worked as a manufacturer’s rep for a small boutique rep firm specializing in design and space planning, dedicated home theater products and high-end audio systems. She also has 14 years of experience working for a publishing company based out of Philadelphia, dedicated to the consumer electronics industry. Her career in publishing began as a project manager quickly moving her way around marketing, events, and eventually sales. Her most notable role was founder and publisher of Connected Design magazine.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Maryellen Oswald to the Somfy family,” said Russ Horowitz, National Specifications Manager. “Her extensive experience is a great addition to the project business team and we look forward to working together to grow our commercial presence within the Southwest territory.”
Oswald is an avid sports fan that enjoys playing golf, visiting local wineries and spending time with family. She is incredibly passionate about smart home technology and is fascinated by design. She is currently enrolled at Saddleback College studying interior design. One of her biggest achievements was in 2020, where she was awarded the Most Powerful Women in Consumer Technology, a prestigious industry award voted by her peers for her work in launching Connected Design magazine and mentoring women in our industry.
“I knew upon entering this industry many years ago my dream of working for a manufacturer would come around,” said Oswald. “Landing a position to join Brittany and Russ’ team gives me the opportunity to continue advocating for this industry in an impactful way. Somfy is an amazing company who not only dominates the smart home industry with motorization and automation, but also cares deeply for their employees. It feels good to back in a corporate environment where I can thrive.”
