USA - Electrosonic has announced that Todd Miller has been named vice president of control rooms. Miller will take charge of the control room business worldwide; he previously headed the company's service business in North America.

Electrosonic's control room business offers complete turnkey solutions that focus on organising and displaying information originating from various sources. It is a business that relies heavily on understanding the client's workflow and being able to match the technology with the ergonomic and functional requirements of the user.

Miller comments, "I understand the customer's needs; I've been on the frontline with them. I understand where they're going and how to build a future with them and Electrosonic. From simple display walls to complex collaboration systems over IP networks, Electrosonic has the expertise to design and install systems that

UK - Canford Group has announced the appointment of Leif Friestad to head the company from March following the retirement of Charles Kennedy who has held the post for more than 10 years.

Friestad comes from United Technologies Corporation where he was responsible for a number of activities; business integration, operational productivity and efficiency working with brands such as Chubb, Sikorsky, Otis and Pratt and Whitney. Prior to that he held senior management roles with Johnson Controls and Lapp Group.

Canford chairman Hugh Morgan Williams comments: "I am delighted that Leif is to join the company as chief executive. He brings great expertise from a cross-section of electronic industries and a wealth of international experience at a time when the company is focused on developing its brands and growing in both domestic and international export markets. Leif's track reco

UK - Showsec's ongoing expansion, across England, Scotland and Wales, has meant that the internal structure has progressed from two to three regions. Breaking these down to Northern, Midlands and Southern regions "will allow the company to better support client services throughout the country, and to allow further expansion into 2012".

The newly created Midlands region will be managed by Richard Church who has worked for the company for 16years. Ieuan Fury moves from his post in Wales to become the area manager for the West Midlands, whilst Joe Milner takes the step up from senior operations executive to role of area manager for the East Midlands.

Replacing Fury in the Wales and South West office will be Martin Lewis who moves up from operations executive. Martin previously was part of Showsec's Management Training Academy and becomes the first graduate to be promote

USA - All Access Staging & Productions, a consortium of companies, has announced the addition of Brian Sullivan, who joins All Access from B & R Scenery, to work as a consultant and engineer. Sullivan has years of invaluable industry experience after owning and operating B & R for over a decade.

"We look forward to a successful future with our new business associate and are eager to expand our staging effect product offerings," notes Clive Forrester, CEO of All Access. "We are delighted to have him as a member of the All Access family."

In addition, All Access has acquired equipment previously operated by B & R Scenery, which includes a wide selection of electro-mechanical lifts and effects.

B & R Scenery will be winding down its Camarillo operation within the next two to three months.

(Lee Baldock)

Japan - The founder and chairman of Korg Inc, Mr. Tsutomu Katoh, passed away on 15 March 2011 after a long fight with cancer.

Tsutomu Katoh was born in Showa-ward, Nagoya City in Japan on 28 August 1926, and after graduating from Nagoya Shogyo commercial high school in 1943, joined the navy and served among the crew of the submarine 'Koryu' (meaning dragon) during WWII.

After the war, he held a position at a trading company, and eventually went on to become the proprietor of a nightclub in the early 1960s. Tadashi Osanai, a noted Japanese accordionist, performed regularly at Katoh's club. Katoh told Osanai, who was also an engineering graduate from Japan's prestigious Tokyo Imperial University, that it would be nice to have a rhythm machine to keep the beat. Katoh and Osanai teamed up to create and market the world's first disk rotary rhythm machine. While working on the proje

UK - MA Lighting has announced that from 1 April, Glyn O'Donoghue will support and strengthen its UK team as general manager. This is a part-time role which will allow Glyn to fulfil a new Business Development role, working alongside Ashley Lewis at Clay Paky UK. Glyn, who previously worked for 20 years at A.C. Lighting, knows both manufacturers and the UK lighting and control market extremely well.

MA Lighting's managing director Michael Althaus comments: "With Glyn, we are aiming to further develop and strengthen our market position and to enter the next level of customer support."

On 22 March MA Lighting also saw the first working day for its new technical sales colleague, David Baldwin, who replaces Callum Howie. Also new to the MA UK office, Elke Kemper switched her working office from Paderborn, MA's headquarters, to London at the beginning of March to support

UK - Prolyte Products UK Limited (formerly Litestructures) has announced the appointment of Miles Marsden as head of UK sales. Formerly sales director and shareholder of Bradford based The Music Company, Marsden brings with him a raft of experience in all sectors of the entertainment business allied to an intuitive commercial approach.

One of his first tasks was to integrate a hugely increased product portfolio, and this was coordinated directly with support from the technical team at Prolyte Leek. Also joining at the turn of the year was Debbie Powell as a new and valued addition to the customer services team.

Following the merger of Prolyte Products and Litestructures in September 2010, the newly formed Prolyte UK Limited (based at the former Litestructures HQ in Wakefield) has been a hive of activity. The new company is designed specifically to manage and develop UK sales f

UK - DiGiCo has appointed Ian Staddon as vice-president of sales. Staddon's lengthy tenure with the Harman Group included working for Soundcraft, and more recently as VP sales for Studer.

"In our industry, it's good to watch what others are doing," he says. "DiGiCo has always been an interesting company and, with the arrival of the SD Range and Stealth Digital Processing you really couldn't help but notice them.

"Since the introduction of the SD7, in late 2007, they have consistently launched products that meet the market's requirements. At PLASA 2010, the SD-Rack, with its phenomenal audio quality, multiple sample rates and hot swappable cards, combined with the SD7's ability to have dual processing engines, clearly indicated the direction the company was moving in."

"As DiGiCo has grown over the last few years, it was logical we would need to

USA/UK - High End Systems has announced the hiring of Chris Ferrante as an international sales manager. Ferrante returns to High End Systems after spending the last two years working in the concert touring department of XL Video in the UK. In his new role at High End Systems, he is responsible for the territories of the UK, Ireland, Southern Europe, the Middles East, Africa, and India.

Ferrante says, "I am very pleased to be returning to High End Systems. The recent and upcoming fixture releases along with the product road map are very exciting. It is thrilling to get back to the customers and employees I worked with when previously with High End."

"Chris Ferrante brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise within our industry," commented Bill Morris, CEO of High End Systems. "We will leverage Chris' experience to help meet and exceed our worl

UK - Paul Molyneux, managing director of Sharp UK, has been appointed COO and deputy group general manager of Europe Group, and vice president of Sharp Electronics European Group (SEEG). The appointment comes following Molyneux's success heading up Sharp UK over the last six years, including relocating the business to London, rolling out the This Is Whybrand ethos, and achieving the accolade of one of Britain's top employers.

Molyneux, who was the first non-Japanese UK MD, will be responsible for all of Sharp's European sales subsidiaries and Sharp Microelectronics Europe, as well as business planning, business structure improvements, PR, branding and environmental policy.

Paul Molyneux's replacement as managing director and president of Sharp UK will be Paul Hide, current operations director and director HE Division of Sharp UK. Hide has been with Sharp for five years

USA - EAW is expanding the capabilities of its Application Support Group (ASG) by appointing Jerrold Stevens to the position of director, EAW Application Support Group (ASG), effective mid-May 2011. The announcement was made by Jeff Rocha, EAW vice president and general manager, and further underscores EAW's commitment to customer support, education and the ongoing development of market-driven products.

The director of application support is the worldwide technical liaison between EAW's customers and their sales and product development organizations. This role includes direct oversight and management of the ASG resources that are located throughout the world. In this position, Stevens will lead, refine and further develop the pre- and post-sale contribution of EAW to system design, support and optimization and will reinvigorate the role that education plays in the growth of the

USA - Liberty AV Solutions has named Tony Carr as its new Southwestern territory manager. An accomplished industry veteran who comes to the post from Samsung Electronics, Carr will assist in directing Liberty's sales efforts in Southern California, Arizona, Southern Nevada, and Hawaii.

Reporting directly to Liberty's director of Western regional sales David Ellis, Carr will work hand-in-hand with the company's independent manufacturer's reps to serve customers throughout his territory. As the latest addition to an overall sales force reorganization that began last year, he will be supported by a team of inside sales associates that brings an even broader base of specialized knowledge and resources to those in the field.

"Customers have an inherent right to expect high levels of service," Carr states. "To that end, it's great to be a part of the Liberty sales tea

UK - Orbital Sound has expanded its project and support team with two new appointments. Carl Rutherford has joined as project manager, while Lucy Jenkins is the new face on the rental desk.

Rutherford's background includes the Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage, and general manager of the National Youth Music Theatre. As part of Orbital's expanding project management team, he will be responsible for managing a wide portfolio, across the spectrum of entertainment industry events.

Director of Theatrical Operations, Luke Hyde comments, "Orbital's reputation is based on being able to translate the challenging mix of client requirements, locations and timescales into focused, well co-ordinated implementations. We are delighted to welcome Carl on board as a valued team member, capable of delivering the first-rate planning and integration skills needed to ensure the smooth runnin

UK - Philips Entertainment Lighting has promoted Amber Tomlin to the position of key account manager for the UK, effective immediately. For the past five years Tomlin has been the company's demonstration and training manager for Philips Strand Lighting's range of Palette consoles.

"I'm delighted to have been promoted," says Tomlin. "Since working for Philips Entertainment Lighting, I've been impressed with the company's innovative and sustainable approach to lighting technology. Today Strand Lighting products are top contenders in the marketplace and it's been great to be a part of that development. I feel Philips Entertainment Lighting has an extremely well conceived, forward-looking business strategy. The diverse range of its lighting solutions ensures that it can service any lighting project, large or small. I'm very much looking forward to working alongside th

Italy - SGM has added two vastly experienced personnel to its sales force as it seeks to increase its profile in the key export markets. Announced at the Prolight&Sound exhibition in Frankfurt, where the company unveiled seven new products, was the news that Troels V°lver has taken on the role of new export manager for North America and Asia Pacific, based in Denmark, while Steen V. Geertsen will operate in a similar area manager capacity, focusing on sales and business development of the SGM brand in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Russia and part of the Arab regions.

Troels V°lver built up a large distributor network during his time in the industry and was CEO of Martin Professional Inc before leaving in 2005 to take up an export role with another Danish company.

With 25 years' experience in large-scale event staging already under his belt, Geertsen entered the lighting

UK - GDS has announced that Nick Read has joined the company as head of its newly created special projects division - GDS Specials. Read has over 22 years experience in the entertainments industry and brings with him wide range of skills, working recently as the head of hire and events for Northern Light and previously running his own successful hire company.

With an electrical engineering background he also boasts experience as a project manager, overseeing the €1m technical-build of Wexford opera house. He has worked around the UK and Europe as a freelance engineer and lighting designer, toured with and brought numerous shows into the West End and worked as a production electrician for major theatre companies, on many of the largest show in London.

His roll will be to develop the GDS brand into the specials market in entertainment, special event and permanent installation.<

UK - Blinding Light Ltd has announced that industry-renowned lighting designer Anthony Hall ("Turbo") will be joining its team this April. The addition of Turbo to Blinding Light's team will help to enhance the company's already established in-house design capability to offer its clients a comprehensive service, says Blinding Light.

"2010 was a milestone year for Blinding Light," commented managing director, Patrick Stacey. "In August, as a result of the company's growth, we moved into brand new premises that met our requirements for increased warehouse and pre-production space to support the projects that we have been working on."

Turbo has over 25 years' of experience in the industry and has had a successful career working for a number of industry leading lighting design companies as well as operating as a freelancer. His recent projects include

UK - Rigging Services has announced the appointment of Scott McAughtrie as manager of its North West branch in Manchester, UK. McAughtrie has a strong event industry background spanning more than 20 years. Formerly with well known AV providers Gearhouse, Blitz and MCL he brings a wealth of maturity and experience with him, which is already proving beneficial to the development of new business as well as growth with existing clients.

Rigging Services has opened its third location in the UK just over two years ago in Manchester and has great aspirations for business growth regionally.

Paul Fulcher, director of Rigging Services comments, "A multi-location business such as ours depends upon the local team to act with independence, strength and speed. Whilst at the same time recognising that they are part of a bigger entity with a need for adherence to the company's quality an

USA - An audio industry pioneer, Roger Nichols played an instrumental role in a Meyer Sound milestone when he inspired the company to develop the HD-1 reference loudspeaker into a near-field monitoring system for recording studios and live mixing environments. Nichols was the first engineer to use HD-1 monitors for a recording - Flying Cowboys by Rickie Lee Jones. Other artists who worked with Nichols include Placido Domingo, Roseanne Cash, Frank Sinatra, and The Beach Boys.

"It takes a visionary like Roger to steer change and break new grounds in technology," says John Meyer, CEO and cofounder of Meyer Sound. "He raised the important question about whether loudspeakers should play a neutral role in the audio chain and this opened up the path for reinforcement systems to be built for transparency and linearity. He was a talented individual who took a relentless sc

USA / Germany - Bosch Security Systems, Inc., Communications Systems Division has announced that Phillip Scobee will join the Electro-Voice team as product manager, Electro-Voice Concert Sound.

Best-known as the designer of high-end touring sound systems for artists such as Kenny Chesney and Sugarland, Scobee brings long experience and an end-user's perspective to his new position, where he will be responsible for both new and existing Electro-Voice concert product lines.

Scobee's connection to Electro-Voice equipment dates back to his early-career involvement with installed sound and has continued into his work in tour sound, most recently as director of operations for Morris Leasing in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

"I've designed large-scale touring rigs for many different artists," Scobee says, "and I've used a lot of EV equipment over the years. We chose EV for

Denmark - SGM has added two experienced personnel to its sales force as it seeks to increase its profile in the key export markets. The company has announced that Troels V°lver has taken on the role of new export manager, North America and Asia Pacific, based in Denmark.

V°lver built up a large distributor network during his time in the industry and was CEO of Martin Professional Inc before leaving in 2005 to take up an export role with another Danish company.

At the same time SGM has announced that Steen V. Geertsen will operate in a similar area manager capacity, focusing on sales and business development of the SGM brand in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Russia and part of the Arab regions.

The move coincides with the company reaching a milestone in its product timeline - with the addition of a new series designed by the new R&D facility to complement the current pr

UK - As the company becomes engaged in more and more projects around the world, independent media and communications technology consultancy

Visual Acuity has made a key new appointment to strengthen its technical system design resource.

Luke George joins the team this month as a technical design consultant, reporting directly to the Visual Acuity board. George is an InfoComm CTS-qualified professional who joins after spells with Creative Technology, Roger Preston & Partners and, most recently, Mark Johnson Consultants.

Explaining the significance of the appointment, Frank Sheehan, Visual Acuity's director of technology, says, "Luke will be performing the systems design role that I have historically fulfilled, offering youth and a fresh set of thinking. Initially I will be mentoring him so that he benefits from my depth of knowledge and wealth of experience, and as the t

UK - Mark Millar has joined Tannoy's expanding marketing team, based at the UK-based company's headquarters in Coatbridge, on the outskirts of Glasgow.

Millar will "bring new capabilities and added bandwidth" to the team under the remit of communications manager Mark Flanagan, pursing related editorial and media opportunities for Tannoy, as well as sister brands Lab.gruppen and Lake.

Having worked in magazine journalism at senior editorial level for over 10 years, Millar brings to his new role a wealth of experience within the music and audio press sector.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Autograph has announced the appointment of Scott Fraser as technical sales manager, for their Sales & Installations division.

Scott joins Autograph following 5 years at Yamaha Commercial Audio, where he specialised in system design and networked audio projects, varying from Westminster Abbey to the Pyramid State at Glastonbury.

"I am excited to join Autograph, at such a pivotal time," Scott explains. "I feel I am well positioned to help expand their already hugely successful installations division. Having worked with the sister company as a supplier, I've seen first hand exactly why Autograph has such a fantastic reputation within the Pro Audio industry & I am delighted to be part of that."

Prior to Yamaha, Scott headed up the sales division of RG Jones. He established an impressive client base within the Houses of Worship sector, using his experienc

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