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USA - Bandit Lites has announced the hiring of Laura McElmurray to its global headquarters. McElmurray will be taking on the role of accounts payable manager.
McElmurray received degrees in both accounting and business administration and joins Bandit following working several years in other industries as an accountant.
Shay Simpson, Bandit’s controller, comments: “Laura has been such a valuable addition to the accounting team. She not only brings with her 10-plus years of experience in Accounts Payable and general accounting, but a level of detail that is imperative in her role. I look forward to seeing her expand her accounting knowledge with her career at Bandit Lites.”
(Jim Evans)

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UK - ETC has announced the promotion of Darren Beckley to the role of sales manager for ETC Ltd. In this newly created position, Beckley will oversee all sales activity in the regions covered by ETC Ltd, including the UK and Ireland, northern and southern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He will be based out of ETC’s London office, and will spend time in all territories, providing support to ETC Ltd’s regional sales managers and their dealer and distributor networks.
Beckley has more than 15 years of experience working in the industry, including more than a decade with UK-based dealer Stage Electrics. For several years, he was sales manager for installation projects, leading a team responsible for designing and selling integrated lighting, audio, video and stage engineering systems across the EMEA region. He was also responsible for establishing the Dubai branch of
Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

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Germany - d&b audiotechnik is expanding its research and development department and has appointed a new member to its management team. With effect from 1 August, Jan Biermann takes over from Frank Bothe as head of research and development. Bothe will now focus on the company’s medium to long term technology roadmap in his role as chief technology officer. As leader of the R&D team, Biermann will be responsible for implementing product development projects, reporting to d&b managing director Markus Strohmeier.
“I am delighted to welcome Jan aboard,” says Strohmeier. “We searched extensively for someone who could further strengthen our already incredibly talented research and development team as we look to create the technologies that will shape the future. The role that Frank’s knowledge and vision has played in d&b’s development to this point is

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USA - Kinesys USA has expanded its team with Tracey Anderson joining as office manager. This reflects a successful couple of years in North America & Canada for the leading motion control and automation brand.
Tracey is based in Kinesys USA’s Atlanta, Georgia HQ and will be working alongside David Bond. She will be handling the day-to-day activities coming in via the office which includes client orders, office administration, payments and order creation, freight & shipping, and generally ensuring that the increasingly busy office keeps running smoothly and efficiently.
Tracey is from Georgia and studied photographic imaging at the Art Institute of Atlanta. This was followed with nearly 10 years of experience working in the booking and promotions sector of the music and entertainment industry.
David Bond commented, “We were extremely lucky to find Trac

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UK - Following a period of substantial growth, Hawthorn is expanding its team of project managers in London & the Midlands.
The creative event technical production expert has welcomed Kate Doughty to their Leicestershire based team whilst Sam Kilby and Paul Leimonas will be joining the company in London.
Doughty joins from mclcreate where she worked as a project manager, delivering the technical production for a variety of events from super theatres at the Good Food shows to wide screen solutions at pharmaceutical events across the UK and Europe. Having initially trained in stage management and technical theatre at LAMDA before embarking on a successful freelance career, Kate brings over 10 years of live event and AV experience to the team.
With over 12 years’ experience in the live events industry, Kilby joins the Hawthorn team having worked as a freelance

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UK - In a move to grow big in the APAC market OHM has appointed Sushil S John as executive director – Asia Pacific.
“OHM is strongly committed to invest and grow in the APAC region and we are extremely pleased that Sushil will be bringing his vision and direction to our team in the region” said Krishna Hegde, CEO, OHM-UK.
“Sushil brings a record of exceptional leadership, growing companies and deep experience in the Asia Pacific regions” Krishna added. “We look forward to working with Sushil as OHM executes the near-term growth strategy to become a leading brand in the APAC’s pro audio markets.”
Most recently, for the past seven years, Sushil was the business director – SAARC for QSC. He previously served as country head for Hasrman in India for six years. Sushil has also worked closely with OHM, Electro-Voice, and Martin Audio, in the past.

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UK - ChamSys has named Aziz Adilkhodjaev as the company’s international business development manager. In his new role, he will be responsible for expanding and strengthening the international distribution network of the brand, as well as improving international customer support and training to enhance the user experience.
Chris Kennedy, ChamSys managing director, comments: “With his detailed knowledge in the field of lighting control, Aziz will assist in taking the MagicQ MQ500 and MagicQ software to a new level, and his expertise in international distribution will also help ChamSys to expand into new markets.”
Aziz states, “I am really excited about the MQ500. It’s an extremely powerful product with up to 200 universes from a single console and many unique functions - it can really deliver a punch. I am looking forward to playing a major role in its evolutio

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UK - Presteigne Broadcast Hire has announced the appointment of Ben Hawker as senior supervisor of RF and special cameras.
Hawker comes to Presteigne from Broadcast RF, where he amassed considerable experience as a senior RF engineer for major international news and sporting events including the London Summer Olympics, Royal wedding, Brazil World Cup, multiple London and Singapore marathons, crown jewel horse racing events, and the UEFA European Championship among many others.
Hawker will apply his planning, technology build, and high-level project management experience to lead Presteigne’s specialist RF camera hire and deployment activities.
Presteigne CEO, Mike Ransome, said, “Ben is a highly respected, world-class expert on RF development and deployment. His engineering experience is vast, and his track record of success unrivalled. I am personally delight

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USA - Altman Lighting has announced the appointment of Miles Dudgeon as their new Northeast regional sales manager for North America. Based in upstate New York, Dudgeon will manage the Altman Lighting sales efforts in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.
“I am thrilled to add Miles to our sales team,” said Nick Champion, Altman Lighting vice president of North American sales. “His background working with industry manufacturers is extensive, and his work as an end user adds a perspective that will help him be able to quickly understand and address the needs of our customers and partners.”
As an ETCP-certified entertainment electrician, Dudgeon most recently worked as the master el

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Australia - KV2 Audio has announced the appointment of Australian sound engineer, Angus Davidson as technical support director for Asia Pacific and North America. Angus who has mixed for major international acts including Supertramp
and Crowded House has had a long and diverse career within the audio industry.
KV2 Audio CEO, George Krampera Jr. comments: “We are excited that Angus is joining our international technical support team. His years of hands-on experience in large scale sound reinforcement plus background in audio education will be invaluable in his role of developing a training and certification process for KV2 Audio users. We want to ensure that engineers and technicians understand how to correctly use our systems for the best possible results. This is especially important with the release of our new flagship large format concert system VHD5.0, this syst

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UK - Autograph Sound Recording has announced the appointment of Scott Arnold to the position of managing director. He will also assume a directorship of Autograph Sales & Installations.
Arnold was appointed to the main board of Autograph Sound in June 2013 as hire director, having joined the company’s service department in 1997 and subsequently being appointed to head the hire division in 2002.
Former MD Terry Jardine, who joined Autograph Sound in 1989 and was appointed managing director in 2000, assumes the role of group chairman but is moving to an additional role within the company - a noted theatrical sound designer in his own right, his new position allows him to refocus his passion on that discipline and to lead Autograph’s internal team of sound designers.
On his new role Arnold commented: “2017 marks my 20th year in Autograph Sound. Some things

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UK - Event design and technical production company Maestra London has expanded its team with three new staff.
Leonie Cumisky joins as PA and office manager, Paul Hayes comes on-board as assistant technical manager and Frank Uhl is the new warehouse manager.
Says Maestra London director Justin Hammond, “We’ve had a fantastic year and it’s very exciting to strengthen the team with more excellent personnel. Leonie, Paul and Frank come from a diversity of backgrounds and their dynamics, vitality and excellent personalities will be a great asset to our collective vision and goals.”
Leonie graduated from Goldsmith’s College, London, with a BA in Media & Modern Literature and previously worked for over three years as office manager for a leading UK design practice. Prior to that, she freelanced in the worlds of advertising and digital media.
Paul’s

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Europe - Absen Europe has announced the appointment of industry experts Liam Winter as product director and Michael Scott as technical and project manager.
Winter joined Absen Europe in July from PSCo, Absen’s UK distribution partner. With more than 15 years of experience in the AV industry in a variety of senior sales, business management and product management roles, he has a wealth of knowledge to draw on.
Based in the UK but with frequent travel to Europe and Absen’s headquarters in China, Winter’s brief is to manage the customer experience end to end for Absen’s European client base.
“The LED market is exciting, fast moving and continuing to grow exponentially. I have witnessed first-hand how Absen has taken a lead role in product innovation without compromising on outstanding product quality and customer service.”
Complementing Liam’s

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France - Airstar has announced the appointment of Clément Guittet as export manager to strengthen its international presence.
With 80% of its lighting turnover generated abroad, the company is focused on supporting and growing its global network. Commented Xavier Ponson, Airstar sales director: “Our brand is already represented in 40+ countries through 12 subsidiaries and over 70 independent distributors. This role has been created to help nurture our existing relationships and further boost our international presence.”
Based in Airstar’s Headquarters near Grenoble, Clément will be responsible for Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Russia, India and Switzerland, with the aim of supporting the existing Airstar international network and developing the company’s presence in the event, construction, industry, security, architecture and cinema sectors.
W

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Europe - Lawo, German manufacturer of pioneering audio and video broadcast equipment, has appointed Joffrey Heyraud to drive sales growth in the French market. With 15 years’ experience in IP-centric radio and TV applications, Heyraud has a wide-ranging knowledge of both broadcast and IT industries. Prior to this move, he was employed by Digigram to develop business in Asia.
Heyraud commented on his new position: “It’s great to be part of a team with such a great vision about the future of our industry and that has the commitment, passion, right people, and leading-edge audio, video and networking technologies to achieve this vision, for the benefit of our clients.”
Jamie Dunn, Lawo head of global sales responds: “We are exceptionally happy to have Joffrey on board. France is an extremely important growth market for Lawo and Joffrey’s appointment represents

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UK - Equipment manufacturer and supplier Hoist UK announces the appointment of new general manager John Ball with immediate effect.
John will manage the business’s sales and marketing teams, contribute to overall business strategy and lead business development activities which include delivery of Hoist UK’s sales, commercial and customer strategies.
With over 25 years in the lifting equipment industry, John is recognised throughout the market and a welcome addition to the growing Hoist UK team. Commenting on the new appointment Paul Jordan, said “Having known John professionally for many years I’m delighted to welcome him to the role of General Manager and have every confidence that he will contribute effectively to our growth and development.”
John added, “It’s exciting to join a growing business with such a strong established position with the lif

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UK - PRG XL Video, the UK operation of Production Resource Group (PRG), has announced the addition of Luke Stevenson to its Corporate and Events team.
Reporting to director of corporate, Steve Greetham, Luke joins the team as senior account manager, bringing a wealth of experience from his time with AVC Live.
During his 11 years with AVC Live, Luke undertook several roles including venue manager; sales and operations manager; and most recently four years as technical producer, where he applied his extensive experience of delivering events on-site.
At PRG XL Video, Luke will focus on the end to end production of 360˚ events, and working with both agencies and in-house event teams.
Steve Greetham commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Luke to the corporate and events team. He brings a broad technical knowledge to PRG XL and his depth of experience compl

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Europe - Philips Entertainment Lighting has confirmed a number of key appointments in various territories.
Shaun Robertshaw has joined the Philips Entertainment Lighting team as UK key account manager. Shaun has worked in the professional lighting business for over 25 years. His experience includes many successful years as UK sales manager with Glastonbury-based Batmink Distribution. He says: “I am delighted to be back in the industry amongst many old friends and, of course, eager to find new ones on this new venture.”
Based in Stockholm, Charlie Gustafsson is now the key account manager entertainment EMEA, and will be looking after the company’s customers throughout the Nordic region.
Charlie’s career began back in 1988, when, after finishing his military service in the special forces, he saw a job ad for a tech at an AV company. Charlie went on to form

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USA - Altman Lighting has announced the continued expansion of their International sales division with the appointment of industry-veteran Jimmy ‘JR’ Chai as their new APAC sales director. With considerable experience in both the architectural and entertainment lighting industries, Chai will oversee all sales channels across Asia, Australia and New Zealand, while strengthening key relationships with distributors, dealers and lighting professionals throughout the region.
“I have personally known JR for a number of years and with our growth in the Asia-Pacific market, we are very fortunate to have him join our sales team to strengthen our client relationships and continue to expand our market presence,” stated Julie Smith, Altman Lighting general manager.
“Over the last several years, the Asia-Pacific market has experienced a sustainable growth in the architect

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UK - London-based Factory Settings has appointed Ben Virgo as head of technology. Ben will be heading up the technology department for existing and new projects, working closely alongside the fabrication and construction team.
Ben will be enhancing the company's existing incorporation of technical elements into bespoke fabrication and design, and also bringing them into new markets. Coming from a live event technology background and with experience in lighting control systems, Ben's expertise will now add a plethora of integrated services from LED pixel systems to projection mapping to Factory Settings’ in-house services.
Factory Settings Ltd - based in East London - designs, fabricates and installs exhibitions, theatre sets and experiential environments for some of the UK's leading heritage, artistic and cultural institutions.
(Jim Evans)

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USA - Colin Beveridge, CEO of d&b Corporation since its inception in the mid-1990s has transferred his responsibilities for d&b audiotechnik in the Americas to the next generation as part of a planned retirement. Following the transition Beveridge will remain on board as senior strategic advisor for the management team in the Americas and company headquarters in Backnang, Germany.
William Cornell has succeeded as territory manager for the Americas and president and CEO of d&b audiotechnik US Group, effective 10 July 2017. “I will support William in a direct role until February 2018 to ensure a smooth transition,” says Beveridge. “Like our audio systems, the essential character and performance of d&b will remain consistent. But it will be rejuvenated by the energy I know William will bring to his new role. What is important now is to concentrate on ensur

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USA - Bandit Lites has appointed Justin Wilk as equipment coordinator, heading up the planning, direction and coordination of Bandit’s extensive inventory. “I am responsible for finding solutions for complicated and complex production issues,” Wilk said. “By supporting the inventory control manager, I’ll ensure that all parties have the information they need about the location of equipment.”
Following his studies in Recording Arts and Show Production and Touring at Full Sail University, Wilk began working with artists in the studio and then on the road, touring extensively as a stage manager and guitar technician, where his time on the road gave him a love and appreciation for the lighting and visual production side of the entertainment business.
“Justin is a great addition to Bandit’s team,” said Bandit Lites general manager, Mark Steinwachs. “Just

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USA - Theatre Projects has announced that industry veteran Robert Young is rejoining the company after eight years away. Robert has over 25 years of experience as a designer and theatre consultant, and he’ll be returning to help the design team create dynamic, versatile, and engaging performance spaces across the globe.
Robert began his career in theatre consulting with Theatre Projects in 1999 and spent the next decade designing and specifying theatre systems and managing the technical production department. His work contributed to the creation of more than 150 projects - including many award-winning and acclaimed performance spaces. During this time, Robert established a reputation for taking a hands-on approach to designing innovative, flexible theatre equipment systems utilizing the latest theatre technology.
In 2009, Robert joined the Acoustics, Audiovisual, and

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UK Manufacturer of flame retardant fabrics, drapery and stage engineering solutions, J&C Joel, has announced a new structure for its projects department.
Ben Richardson-Owen, previously Middle East project manager, has been promoted to head of projects (International) alongside Fraser Davidson, previously UK and Europe project manager, who has now stepped into the role as head of projects (UK and Europe).
Ben has worked for the company for six years and worked in the company’s Dubai office for five years, returning to the UK office last year.
Fraser has worked for the company for 17 years, starting out as an apprentice installing J&C Joel products all over the world - alongside J&C Joel’s CEO James Wheelwright - before eventually moving into the coordination and management side of Project delivery.
Matt Corbett, operations director, said:
  1. Jerad Garza joins Ayrton’s growing sales team
  2. David Stewart Joins GLP as UK sales manager
  3. Martin Audio appoints product support engineer
  4. Green Hippo strengthens global training team
  5. Shure Distribution UK Systems Group expands
  6. Simon Mighall joins Flare Audio
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