Silicon Labs veteran to continue Thread Group's momentum as it expands its IP-based innovation to new markets and use cases
San Ramon, Calif. - Oct. 14, 2026 - Thread Group, the industry alliance of more than 240 companies supporting the Thread wireless mesh networking protocol for IoT, today announced the appointment of Ann Olivo as its new president. She succeeds former president Vividh Siddha and will guide Thread Group as it further evolves Thread's IP-based mesh networking technology to connect and control products in smart homes and commercial buildings.
During the five years of Siddha's leadership, Thread Group advanced its technical innovation, with the introduction of the Thread 1.4 specification, Thread Direct, and Thread Tools, which gives developers, installers, and manufacturers new ways to onboard, test, and support Thread networks. In addition, the Thread Group Board approved work to bring the benefits of Thread to Sub-GHz, with specification development underway.
Siddha also led the organization through a series of milestone achievements, including surpassing 1,000 certified products, and expanding its liaisons with KNX, DALI Alliance, Connectivity Standards Alliance, and the Broadband Forum. These relationships connect Thread to the standards that shape building automation, lighting, the smart home, and broadband-managed networks.
"We thank Vividh for his steady leadership. Under his guidance, Thread Group made real, measurable progress, and the IoT industry is better for it," said Jonathan Hui, vice president of technology at Thread Group. "Ann brings deep experience in both the Thread and Matter ecosystems, and we're excited for the next phase of growth under her direction."
Olivo has served as a Thread Group board officer and leads marketing for the alliance. She brings over ten years of experience building smart home and commercial technologies and standards, with a background in product management, industry alliances, and global marketing at Silicon Labs. She also serves as vice chair of the Matter Marketing & Product Subgroup at the Connectivity Standards Alliance.
"I am honored to serve as Thread Group's president and to build on the momentum Vividh created," said Olivo. "My goal is to make Thread the most ubiquitous mesh networking standard in the connected devices space globally. That means growing the certified product ecosystem, deepening our work with partner standards bodies, and giving manufacturers and installers the tools to deploy Thread with confidence."
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About Thread Group
Formed in 2014, the non-profit Thread Group is focused on making Thread the foundation for the Internet of Things in homes and commercial buildings. Built on open standards, Thread is a low-power wireless mesh networking protocol that enables direct, end-to-end, secure, and scalable connectivity between more than 1,500 certified IoT devices, mobile devices, and the internet. Because Thread is IP-based, it seamlessly integrates with many environments, apps, devices, and clouds. The Thread Group provides a rigorous certification program to ensure device interoperability and positive user experience.
Thread is backed by more than 240 industry-leading companies, including Amazon, Apple, ASSA ABLOY, Fortune Brands Innovations, Google, Lutron, Inventronics, Nordic Semiconductor, NXP Semiconductors, Qualcomm, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Silicon Labs, and Samsung SmartThings.
Media Contact:
Jack Ortner, FINN Partners
thread@finnpartners.com