USA/UK - Orbital Sound reports that it has appointed entertainment industry professional Morag MacPherson as vice president of its US company with immediate effect. MacPherson joins Orbital at an important stage in its evolution, and will be working closely with international managing director Chris Headlam to position the company's successful brand in the US market.

Chris Headlam comments, "Morag brings a new dimension to Orbital as a recognised force in the theatrical world. Morag is extremely well-versed in all things audio, as well as commanding immense respect within theatre production, and she will be a great hands-on ambassador for Orbital. Morag has literally grown up in the business, mentored by her father, the late and highly respected theatrical manager and producer George MacPherson. We are hugely excited to bring her into our team at such an early stage in our

UK - The ABTT took the opportunity the recent PLASA Focus Show to pay tribute to Ivor Dykes, in recognition of his longstanding contribution to ABTT NorthNet, upon his retirement as the committee's Honorary Secretary.

Ivor's initial career began as an apprentice organ builder in Leeds. In the late 1950s he worked at London's Selfridges store as a television repairman whilst volunteering at the Questors Theatre in Ealing and the Theatre Royal Stratford East.

This lead to a formal role with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop Company as its theatre engineer, working alongside Gerry Raffles and John Bury, amongst many others.

During his time with the company, Ivor researched and produced the original glass slides used for the inaugural production of O What a Lovely War, sourced from images held at the Imperial War Museum. These slides, now digitised, are - some 50 years l

UK - LEE Filters has announced the appointment of Richard McKitty as their new business development manager for camera and lighting filters. McKitty comes to LEE with six years of experience in the lighting industry and four years in the photographic industry working with dealers and professionals in each market. He will be covering all areas outside the US and South America with a focus on Europe and beyond.

"I am thrilled to be joining LEE Filters. It is a real honour to be promoting the famous LEE brand within two thriving industries around the world. I cannot wait to help expand the business portfolio and meet new and existing LEE customers," says McKitty.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Chuck Davies, founder and CEO of the ADJ Group has announced that Toby Velazquez has been named president of ADJ, Elation and Acclaim Lighting. Velazquez, who joined the company shortly after it was started in 1985, has served the ADJ Group in a wide variety of capacities and has made critical contributions to its growth from a small business serving the mobile DJ market to an international leader in the lighting industry.

"Toby has been a key part of our company from its earliest days," said Davies. "He's demonstrated extraordinary talent and leadership qualities in every job he's done, and his passion for excellence is second to none. Based on his abilities and track record, I'm extremely confident that he's the right person to lead ADJ, Elation and Acclaim Lighting into the future."

In recent years, Velazquez has shepherded the development of many

UK - AMX has announced the appointment of Jeff Gorton as UK business development manager for the corporate sector.

"It is with great pleasure that we can announce that Jeff has joined the AMX team." said Jonathan Mangnall, sales director, AMX Europe. "Our corporate business has been going from strength to strength and we have been looking for some time for the right candidate to build on this momentum. Jeff's vast experience across the corporate installation industry will be invaluable."

Gorton joins the AMX team with over 15 years experience within the industry, gained most recently at Impact Europe Group, where he was solely responsible for growing the company's corporate tender business through new project sales and development. In his new role, he will be responsible for growing the awareness of AMX's range of corporate solutions, which span boardroom v

China - Lighthouse Technologies has announced the promotion of Randy Green to the position of chief technology officer.

Green has more than 25 years experience in strategic planning, sales, design and implementation of technical systems for the entertainment, television, sports, digital out of home and live event markets. He also has over 15 years of experience providing technical solutions for sports stadiums, arenas, and exhibition centres of which large screen video display, video control systems and electronic signage are an integral part.

Having joined Lighthouse in 2007, Green has played a key role in the company's success, using his extensive expertise to build positive relationships both internally and externally. This new position reflects both his technical and managerial talents.

"Randy is an innovative and energetic technical management professional," s

UK - Sound Technology, the Harman distributor in the UK and ROI, has promoted Joe East to the new role of business development manager - installed audio. East has been at Sound Technology Ltd since the company purchased Harman Pro UK in 2008, and was at Harman Pro UK for two years prior to that. His new role is to act as liaison between all relevant parties of a project to ensure it runs smoothly.

In addition, Hugo Burnard has joined the technical project team, working as project engineer alongside senior project engineer Ben Todd and product specialist Danny Kyte. Burnard is an experienced audio engineering graduate who joins Sound Technology from the TOA Corporation.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Audio-Technica has announced the recruitment of Matthias Exner to the position of business development director EMEA for professional products.

With a strong technical and commercial background, Exner has spent many years in the pro-audio industry representing leading brands like Biamp, Tannoy and BSS, in various roles working with distributors across EMEA and SAARC regions. Exner brings significant experience of the commercial installation industry to Audio-Technica

Exner said, "I'm very excited to be joining Audio-Technica - it's a fantastic company with great technology, high quality products and an amazing heritage. Incidentally, my first contact with the company was the purchase of a pair of its noise-cancelling headphones, which I still use on business travels today.

"I am looking forward to working closely with our distribution partners to implement str

UK - Allen & Heath's regional sales agency for Asia, Global Market Management, has appointed Alex Schloesser to the position of sales engineer. He will be working with distributors in training, pre-sales system design support as well as after sales support with an emphasis on helping distribution partners increase market share.

With 25 years of experience in broadcast audio, FOH mixing, systems engineering, speaker system tuning, R&D, RF, speaker measurement and many other related pro audio functions Schloesser makes a significant addition to the Global Market team.

"I was delighted to find a man with such high technical and business credentials recently relocated to the heart of the Asia Pacific territory," comments Global Market Management president, Bardy Hayes. "Alex has already proved himself to be very valuable across a wide variety of disciplines. We look

USA - Auralex Acoustics has announced several recent additions to its leadership team. The announcement was made by Auralex founder and president Eric Smith.

First, Mark Henderson has been appointed CEO. Prior to joining Auralex Acoustics, Henderson had a successful global career with Dow AgroSciences, and also functioned as Executive Director of the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Corn Marketing Council, travelling abroad to grow both organizations' market share. Along the way, Henderson acquired experience with Six Sigma and other process and organizational re-engineering job assignments.

Next, Dave Brune has been appointed director of sales. Brune brings over two decades of sales management and business development experience with leading global manufacturers including Sony DADC, Maxell Professional Media, Thomson Consumer Electronics, and Ampex Recording Media Corpora

Denmark - DPA Microphones has appointed Niels J°rgen °hrgaard as its new executive VP for sales.

°hrgaard joins DPA Microphones from Reson where he was executive VP global sales and marketing. He has also held similar positions at other high tech companies including Hasselblad A/S and ScanView A/S - Purup Eskofot A/S.

Christian Poulsen, CEO of DPA Microphones, says, "Niels J°rgen has spent the last 20 years developing and growing sales globally for a range of companies and we are delighted that DPA will now benefit from this extensive experience. His appointment comes at an exciting time for DPA. We have recently introduced the new d:facto Vocal Microphone, which has been well received by the audio industry, and we are also introducing other new product ranges that will appeal to a wide variety of industry sectors. Having Niels J°rgen on board will all

USA - Martin Professional, Inc. is pleased has announced that on 3 June industry expert and long-time industry professional Grif Palmer will join the company as business area manager, rental - US.

Palmer brings to Martin a wealth of knowledge and industry experience, having worked as VP of Sales for High End Systems, regional sales manager for Barco and most recently as VP of sales for LED Source. His roots in the industry stretch back to 1985 when he founded Core Systems, and he has amassed an abundance of key contacts since.

Brian Friborg, president of Martin US, commented,"Grif's hiring is a real coup for us. His deep roots and distinguished experience in the industry will be invaluable in developing new contacts and strengthening existing relationships with rental customers and LD's across the country."

Palmer, who will be working out of Martin US's Florida hea

USA - Global Truss America has named Kenneth Kahn president of the company, which sells products in North America under the DuraTruss and Global Truss brands. Kahn has been with the company since its inception in 2000 and has played a key role in building it into a major supplier of trussing and accessories for the stage, concert, club, house of worship, exhibit and retail display markets.

"Ken has been involved in every aspect of this business, from sales and marketing to research and product development," said Global Truss America CEO Chuck Davies. "He's excelled at every position he's held here, so we're very confident that he'll be able to guide our company to even more outstanding success in the future."

Kahn was instrumental in creating Global Truss America's dual branding strategy in 2012. Under this plan, the company markets DJ truss in the US under

USA - Liberty AV Solutions has named Nick Buscemi as its new Great Lakes strategic accounts manager. Now giving direction to Central US territories including Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, Buscemi's reach will extend to Kentucky as well.

"This opportunity at Liberty comes at the right time, and I definitely feel in the right place," Buscemi says of his new role. "Being part of a sales team built upon principles of maintaining a positive customer culture and growth through building better business relationships offers end-to-end solutions within which everyone comes out a winner."

Based in Metro Chicagoland, Buscemi comes to Liberty from Central Marketing, Inc., an independent manufacturer's rep firm based in Crystal Lake, Illinois. While with Central Marketing for the past 11 years, he represented manufacturers including Sanyo, LG Electronics, Elmo,

UK - Following the recent announcement that POLARaudio will be the UK distributor for Loud Technologies' brands Mackie and Ampeg, they have announced the appointment of John Kaukis as their business development manager. Formerly the UK sales manager for Loud Technologies, Kaukis brings with him a formidable knowledge of these brands and the pro-audio/MI industries, plus a wealth of sales experience.

Kaukis will continue to grow the Mackie and Ampeg brands as well as working on the Beyerdynamic and Gallien Krueger brands with POLARaudio national sales manager (retail division), Clive Burns.

Following his appointment Kaukis commented: "I am delighted to be joining such a fast growing, proactive company and working with such a strong brand portfolio. I will be working closely with the POLARaudio team focusing on going out around the country, meeting people face-to-face to en

USA - San Francisco Business Times has named Helen Meyer, co-founder and executive vice-president of Meyer Sound, to be one of this year's Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business. An annual special edition of the respected business journal honours women leaders who have risen to the highest positions in corporations, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. The honorees' achievements will be celebrated on June 6, 2013 at the Most Influential Women in Business Awards Ceremony at the Hilton San Francisco.

Since co-founding Meyer Sound in 1979 with her husband John Meyer, Helen Meyer has empowered individuals and enriched the local community in the areas of job creation, education, and the arts. Meyer Sound employs over 300 people worldwide, including some 200 manufacturing positions at its Berkeley headquarters.

"Helen Meyer is one of the Bay Area busine

Germany - Sennheiser has announced the third generation of the Sennheiser family is to take over at the head of the company. The company says: "For several years now, two of the co-shareholders of the Sennheiser family business, Daniel and Dr. Andreas Sennheiser, have proved themselves within the Executive Management Board, by taking on certain responsibilities for the successful running of the entire group. As a consequence, the shareholders of the Sennheiser Group have unanimously decided to promote Daniel and Andreas Sennheiser to the positions of CEOs responsible for Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co KG, as of 1 July 2013.

In addition, Daniel and Andreas Sennheiser will share the role of 'speaker of the executive management board' which has been held since 2007 by Volker Bartels. The supervisory board and shareholders would like to thank Mr. Bartels for the successful han

UK - Bose has announced the appointment of Kevin McNally to the role of UK Engineered Sound project manager, with effect from Monday 10 June.

In his new role, McNally will focus on developing Bose visibility and presence in major projects within the theatre, arena and large indoor venue market, and will be working with Bose Engineered Sound pro partners who are active within this field.

After three years with Martin Audio, McNally is looking forward to developing project opportunities for the new Bose RoomMatch arrays, says the company.

France - Bruno Garros has taken on the role of executive VP of global sales and business development at APG. He has also significantly increased the share capital of the company and taken a 25% shareholding in the business.

With some 25 years' experience of implementing sales and marketing strategies within large industrial groups, Garros has spent the last 15 years in high-ranking positions within the Martin Professional group. He spent ten years at the helm of Martin France before moving on to occupy the role of VP of distributor sales for Martin Professional worldwide.

"I've had 15 wonderful years at Martin Professional, but it was time for me to move on. I was ready for new challenges and new horizons," said Garros. "I've known the APG team for many years now, as the brand was at one point distributed by Martin France, so I've been keeping an eye on their pr

UK - White Light has announced the appointment of Rebecca Fellows as venue relationship manager, providing a key contact for events venues in London and across the UK. Fellows, previously events administrator at White Light, joined the company in 2011. She sees her new role as an opportunity to further develop White Light's ties with established venues while also seeking to connect with new and emerging events spaces.

"White Light has a strong history with many venues across the UK," she said. "My role will be to help those venues and clients make the most of our services and to understand how we can better serve them. I will also be investing time with newer and smaller production spaces, looking at how we can help achieve great events in any space."

"We are very excited to have Rebecca move into this new role," said Stuart Crane, head of events

UK - Illuminate Design, which offers a complete technical support service, specialising in event deliverance and system support has recently appointed Keith Norman as sales executive. His role is to further develop the company's work in the hire and event market.

Norman has come from Adphonic where he was sales director. During his career, Norman's attention to detail and his utmost care for his clients will bring a new level of support to the Illuminate Design team, says the company.

(Jim Evans)

Malaysia - Music Group Professional has announced a strategic expansion of their team for Asia Pacific. Graham Rowlands joins the company as senior manager overseeing business development across APAC effective 10 June, 2013. The appointment puts Rowlands in charge of intensifying the brands' growth across Asia including the dynamic economies of China and India.

Having most recently served as regional sales director Asia at Harman Professional, Rowlands is well acquainted with Asian markets. From his base in Kuala Lumpur he has been responsible for solid sales growth across 12 Asian countries with over 16 years of experience in managing pro audio distribution in the region. He has also operated successfully at the distributor level having notably placed several MIDAS consoles in the Sydney Opera House during his tenure with Australia's National Audio Systems (NAS).

"Adding

UK - CUK Audio is pleased to announce the appointment of Carl Tomkins to the position of Sales Manager, with special responsibility for AV Integrator sales and support.

Tomkins former career has included sales roles with Reflex, Pro AV (formally Asysco) and AMX. He joins CUK Audio from Audio Logic where he held the position of business development/ account manager.

"With a world-class range of pro-audio brands, we need to ensure a high calibre of specialist staff to support each vertical market", said CUK Audio's MD, Stuart Thomson. "Carl brings with him valuable experience in several sectors, particularly AV integration. He also has the enthusiasm and consistent attitude to customer support that is fundamental to CUK Audio. I'm sure he'll fit in well and do a great job for our company and customers."

Tomkins comments: "I have followed the rise of CU

UK - Rycote, the UK-based manufacturer of advanced microphone windshields and suspension systems, has announced the departure of Stefano Pucello, the company's sales & marketing director.

Pucello, who joined Rycote in January 2010, is leaving at the end of June. During his time at Rycote, first as sales & marketing manager and then as S&M Director since 2011, the company has diversified successfully from its original broadcast supply base into the pro audio and DSLR accessories markets, which has involved a great deal of travel to set up and service new sales outlets internationally. Pucello initially plans a well-earned rest before deciding on his next career move.

"It's always important to leave a company on a high note, having achieved what you came on board to accomplish, and Rycote has expanded enormously into new markets during the time I've been here," he comm

Latest Issue. . .