France - Airstar has announced the appointment of Thierry Beynet as the new CEO of Airstar European Network. This strategic hire is a major step in Airstar’s plan to strengthen its presence in the European market, as part of the overall business strategy instigated by the company in 2016, says the company. Airstar European Network (AEN), a commercial subsidiary of Airstar, represents 30% of the company’s turnover in lighting balloon solutions. Thierry Beynet recently took on the role, managing and extending the nine subsidiaries which form the European network. Indeed, AEN is responsible for marketing the entire range of Airstar lighting balloons in this region. Beynet’s relationship with Airstar goes back many years. He worked his way up through the company, starting in 1998 as a technician, before taking on a commercial role. He then worked as AEN’s accountan
France - Chauvet has announced that Martin Fournier has joined the company as its European sales director. Fournier is an experienced lighting industry figure in Europe, having spent the last 22 years serving the professional lighting market in Europe. He comes to Chauvet from Harman International, where he most recently served as that company’s sales director for France and Benelux Professional Solutions. Fournier began his career in 1995 with Martin Professional. “Martin is a very valuable addition to our team, and we are excited to welcome him,” says Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “He shares our passion for excellence and has spent 100 percent of his career focused on lighting.” Michael Brooksbank, Chauvet’s managing director of Europe, adds, “Martin brings a diverse range of skills and experiences to the table. He has excelled in many facets of the l
UK - London and Dubai based event technical design and production specialist Maestra has welcomed four new team members in London, in time for the busy autumn and winter season. Justin Hammond, managing director of Maestra London, commented: “We are delighted to welcome everyone on board, and have been really impressed with the calibre of people interested in making a commitment to working with Maestra at this very exciting time in our development.” Lizzie Bishop joins as senior project manager, Alice Dapling comes on board as a senior production designer; Sirajuddin Mohammed is focussed on the financials and accounts, while Jenny Bumanglag strengthens the operations division. Lizzie Bishop graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Geography, then started off her career in events as an Events Co-ordinator for Wise Productions, specialising
Finland Media server specialist Picturall has appointed Markku Myllymäki as senior software developer. Myllymäki has over two decades’ experience in software development in a variety of roles for multinational corporations including Nokia Networks and Elektrobit. Samuli Valo, Picturall CEO and head of R&D, comments: “Markku has solid experience in just about every area we required including project management and product management as well as his considerable technical software development skills. We are all looking forward to working with him on our next generation of media server and playback products.” Myllymäki adds: “As a computer graphics enthusiast, I am very interested in several of the technologies currently used in Picturall products. It gives me great insight into a very exciting business sector that I’m not very familiar with, so I’m real
UK - SGM has appointed Anthony Van-Sertima as the new business development manager at its UK branch. Anthony was first introduced to SGM in 2005 and has loved the products ever since. “In the UK, the network of lighting people is close and friendly. Having extensive knowledge in lighting and production, I’ll be on hand to provide the link between lighting designers and the brand; a friendly, familiar face,” said Anthony about his new role at SGM. Anthony foresees a huge growth phase for SGM, and is thrilled to be part of that journey. “It’s not like other manufactures are falling short, but SGM is a few years ahead of competitors, having developed purely LED based technology a few years before the other major manufacturers,” said Anthony. “Also, in terms of the IP-rating, it is an exciting time for SGM as the demand for outside light installations
France - L-Acoustics has announced the appointment of industry expert Tony Szabo as head of application, touring. Tony will work directly with Florent Bernard, director of applications, touring to deploy the application strategy for the touring market and manage the touring applications team. Tony will be a familiar face to many in the industry, his career spans 25 years - from monitor technician to FOH engineer, show controller, crew chief and senior FOH systems engineer, Tony has worked with the world’s top artists and festivals. Most recently, he served as senior systems engineer at L-Acoustics UK partner Adlib Audio Solutions, designing systems for tours and festivals as well as mentoring the systems engineer team and leading technology acquisition decisions. “Tony’s extensive experience in key posts in the industry brings a unique and fresh perspective to le
UK - Steve Warren is working in partnership with Chroma Q distributors A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) to develop sales of Chroma-Q's lighting fixtures range. This partnership follows the recent appointment of Steve’s company, Lighting Distribution Consulting, to assist the development of Chroma-Q’s international sales and distribution channels outside of North America. The latest generation of Chroma-Q LED products have won multiple awards and garnered much praise from users for their high performance. These include the new Color Force II colour-mixing LED cyc and wash light, the Inspire colour-mixing LED house light, and the Space Force variable white LED soft light. (Jim Evans)
UK - JHS has announced the appointment of Chris Walton to the position of pro audio sales specialist for the UK and Ireland. Chris, who will be familiar to JHS customers from his tenure in the company’s sales office, will be the internal “go to guy” for all things pro audio at JHS. Chris has a long history in pro audio which covers all aspects of touring, live sound and studio engineering, system configuration, installation and said of the appointment: “I look forward to the challenge of the new role supporting and expanding on relations with new and existing customers.” JHS managing director Dennis Drumm commemts: “Chris’ experience of JHS and its pro audio brands and his extensive knowledge, direct personal experience and ongoing engagement in touring and live sound brings a terrific asset to bear to support our pro audio activities.” (Jim
Asia - Chauvet has announced that Hanslee Lim will be spearheading its sales division in Asia. Lim comes to Chauvet after directing Asian market sales for Robe and SGM. “We are extremely happy to have someone with Hanslee’s impressive track record and commitment to excellence on our team,” said Stéphane Gressier, international sales director of Chauvet. “Hanslee has an extraordinary depth of knowledge about lighting in general and more specifically about lighting in the Asian market. Most importantly though, he has a well-deserved reputation for understanding the needs of customers and putting them first. This makes him very compatible with the Chauvet way of doing business.” In his new role, Lim will be responsible for directing sales throughout the Asian market for all Chauvet brands including ChauvetProfessional, Chauvet DJ, Iluminarc architectural lighti
UK - Cardiff-based event service provider 11th Hour has appointed Gareth Clark, an electrician with 20 years’ experience. Gareth has worked across the commercial electrical sector on landmark projects such as the O2 Arena, the Reuters Building and a number of other London locations, perhaps most notably as a supervisor for Honeywell during the construction of the new Wembley Stadium, where he had responsibility for turnstiles and escalators as well as installing PAVA and fire alarm provision. Closer to 11th Hour's Cardiff base, Gareth is very familiar with regular 11th Hour territories, including The Principality Stadium and Celtic Manor. Although very comfortable handling large scale projects, Gareth has a broad-based background and recently completed a foundation degree in Live Event Technology at the University of South Wales. (Jim Evans)
USA - The Audio Engineering Society (AES) has announced that David Scheirman has taken office as their new president. Scheirman has over 40 years of experience and expertise in professional audio and has been a long-time active member of the AES, having served three terms on the Board of Governors and taken up numerous roles and chair positions at AES conventions and within the AES committee system. “David has played a leading role in the past year as chair of the president’s strategic planning team,” said Alex Case, as he ends his own one-year presidential term. “David was instrumental in our development of new events and collaborations. With his broad and deep industry experience, he is uniquely prepared to lead these AES initiatives in the coming year.” Case will continue to serve on the AES Executive Committee as Past President, while also chairing the M
UK - Allen & Heath has announced the appointment of R&D director, Rob Clark to the role of managing director, following the decision by longstanding company figurehead, Glenn Rogers, to pass on the reins to the next generation. Rob Clark joined Allen & Heath as a digital R&D engineer in 1993 and has played a key role in the development of the company’s digital mixers, becoming R&D Director in 2008. Glenn Rogers remains a director of the Audiotonix group, focusing on identifying market opportunities and helping to specify new products. Rob Clark commented, “It’s an honour to take on this new challenge. Glenn has been a trusted friend and mentor for more than 20 years, and I know we can rely on his wise counsel in the future. It’s a fantastic time to move into this role; the product range has never been stronger, we’re blessed with an
UK - GDS has announced the appointment of Harry Pain to the post of sales and marketing assistant. Harry is a recent graduate, holding a BA (Hons) in Event and Hospitality Management, who joins the company after three years’ experience in administration, office support, research and content creation for Penny Brohn UK, a major cancer support organisation. Managing Director Matt Lloyd comments: "Harry possesses exactly the drive and energy that is required within the GDS team. These are very exciting times for us, we are growing and our products, new and established, are having a global impact that is driving demand at an ever-increasing rate.” Harry Pain adds, "I'm very excited to be joining GDS. There is an incredible buzz around the place and it was pretty quickly apparent that everyone on the team is passionate about their work.” (Jim Evans)
UAE - Sennheiser has appointed Fadi Costantine as technical sales manager in the Middle East. He will primarily focus on supporting customers and growing Sennheiser’s footprint in the business communication, system integration and audio recording segments. Prior to joining Sennheiser, Fadi held the position of audio division manager at Venuetech, Sennheiser’s long-standing distributor in the region. Ryan Burr, head of technical sales & application engineering at Sennheiser Middle East, said: “Fadi is the ideal candidate to help us drive further growth as he brings with him wide-ranging knowledge of our customer base and pertinent skills that will be invaluable to our team." Commenting on his new position, Fadi said: “Joining Sennheiser presents me with the opportunity to drive innovation and the uptake of best practices in the Middle East industry. Over the
UK - The Scottish Ballet has appointed Matthew Strachan as its new technical director. He takes over from George Thomson, who has left for the English National Ballet. Strachan said: "Having worked with Scottish Ballet for almost 20 years including extensive freelance work, I was delighted to be appointed technical director. I’ve had the fortune to work with a fantastic team during this time and I’m looking forward to this exciting new position." Christopher Hampson, chief executive/artistic director of the Scottish Ballet, added: "Matthew was the obvious choice as our technical director as he is a highly talented individual and has delivered exceptional work for us over the years. I wish him every success in his new position." Strachan first joined the Scottish Ballet in 1998 as deputy electrician and has worked on numerous award-winning productions inclu
Europe - In anticipation of Brexit, ADJ has re-assigned two of its key personnel to continue the company’s growth in the UK and mainland Europe. Kris Dawber will take on the role of UK and Ireland sales manager while Sebastian Mobers will move into the position of EU sales manager. ADJ Europe recently celebrated its 15th anniversary and the company’s European arm is a significant part of its global business with showrooms at Kerkrade in the Netherlands and Greater Manchester in the UK. Having worked for ADJ in Europe for almost 15 years, Sebastian Mobers is an integral and highly valued member of the team. Having most recently served as the company’s European purchasing manager, before previously gained valuable experience in the sales department, he will take on the role of EU sales manager. This role will involve supporting and overseeing ADJ’s regional sales
USA - Tomcat USA has appointed Carmen Savarese as a sales & marketing director. Carmen has served as global business developer and chief operating officer during her 11 years in the entertainment industry and will use this experience to grow and expand the Tomcat and James Thomas Engineering truss brands in the Americas and internationally. She will add “a new, dynamic element to the already well established and successful Tomcat and JTE teams”, says the company. (Jim Evans)
USA - John Castelino has been appointed vice-president of global marketing at Chauvet. In his new position, Castelino will be responsible for Chauvet’s entire brand portfolio which includes Chauvet Professional, Chauvet DJ, Iluminarc, Trusst and ChamSys. Castelino joins Chauvet after a distinguished career at Stanley Black & Decker, where he served as vice-president of product management and marketing. During his time at Stanley Black & Decker, Castelino led some of the company’s largest brand portfolios such as DEWALT and Mac Tools. “John’s experience, leadership and passion for brand building make him a valuable addition to our management team,” said Berenice Chauvet, shareholder and senior advisor to Chauvet. “We have built Chauvet into a leading and trusted name in the entertainment and architectural lighting industries. The insights and exper
USA - High End Systems has announced the addition of three new employees. Terry Heisler is joining as West Coast regional sales manager and Clint Wingrove has signed on as south eastern regional sales manager. In HES Engineering, Ian Clarke has become a R&D product development manager. With over 30 years of industry experience, Terry Heisler was on the touring circuit for many years before starting a lighting design company in Canada. After moving to Chicago in 2007, Terry has combined design, management and sales with such companies as Lightswitch, ILC and VER. He comments, “I started my design and programming career using High End fixtures and Hog desks. The product line is now stronger than ever, and I’m very excited to be working with such great people at HES/ETC.” Clint Wingrove worked as sales manager for Oasis Stage Werks and lighting consultant for U
UK - JHS has announced the appointment of Jack Irish to the position of pro audio area sales manager for southern UK and Ireland. Joining JHS after a short sojourn outside of the industry, following on from his six years as an ASM with Lamba PLC, Jack says of the appointment: “I am incredibly excited and proud to be working with JHS. Being part of the team here will be a pleasure, because they have so many respected brands that encompass an array of innovative and high-quality products that can cater for almost everyone. I am very passionate about the industry and am looking forward to meeting with both old and new customers.” JHS managing sirector Dennis Drumm adds: “We’re looking forward to Jack joining the company very much. With a well-deserved reputation for excellence and a well-grounded knowledge of the industry and customer base, Jack will really hit th
USA - ADJ Products has announced two new appointments to its growing network of sales associates within the United States. The first appointment is that of Aldridge Marketing, a manufacturer’s representative firm located in Austin, Texas. Since 1992, Randall Aldridge and the Aldridge Marketing team have represented AV and MI manufacturers in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Effective 1 November 1, 2017, Aldridge Marketing will represent ADJ Products (ADJ Lighting, American Audio, Accu-Cable and Accu-Case) throughout their territory. “We are very excited to welcome Randall and his team at Aldridge Marketing to the ADJ family,” said Alfred Gonzales, national sales manager of ADJ USA. “Aldridge Marketing’s expertise is exactly what we were looking for to represent ADJ’s growing range of professional lighting and video products for installation,
UK - Gooee’s Neil Salt has been named managing director ahead of the company’s European launch at LuxLive 2017 to be held on 15-16 November at Excel London. The MD will support the UK/European team from the company’s new offices in Paddington. Gooee provides space and occupancy analytics, wireless lighting control and beacon networking for the smart building industry. It was co-founded in 2014 by Salt, Andrew Johnson and Simon Coombes. Johnson says: “With 18 years’ experience in the lighting industry, Neil’s expertise in delivering products into the built environment, combined with his experience in marketing and technology, make him a valuable addition to the team in this next phase of Gooee’s growth and deployment.” In the last three years Gooee has been building a data and analytics platform and has signed up over 50 lighting and building co
UK - Cardiff-based event and project management specialist 11th Hour has recruited three new full-time team members to help meet growing demand for its services. Project manager Kirstie Evans joins from Cardiff Council's events team where she gained a wide variety of production experience. A graduate of The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Kirstie also has experience in TV and film production management. She is joined by assistant project manager, Pete Morgan who studied Live Event Technology at The University of Glamorgan before gaining experience working as a senior technician in television technology supply, as well as freelancing in the wider events industry. In an increasingly busy warehouse, Sarah Everson takes on the role of assistant warehouse manager. With a degree in Music Technology, Sarah was apprenticed at The Wales Millennium Centre where she
USA - Jewel Kusek has joined the DPA Microphones’ US team as general manager after serving as controller for Next Level Resource Partners. In her new role, Kusek will be responsible for the strategic financial leadership of DPA, overseeing all aspects of DPA’s operations including finance, human resources, sales, logistics and customer relations. “I am excited to bring my previous experiences to the DPA Microphones family,” says Kusek. “DPA is a highly regarded company and I am thrilled to be working with the team at the USA branch of operations.” “Jewel brings more than a decade of experience as a leader in business management and accounting, and we are happy to welcome her to our team,” says Christopher Spahr, VP of marketing and sales, DPA Microphones, Inc. “She is a results-driven leader who will oversee the continued growth of DPA Microph
