USA - Electrosonic has promoted Chris Conte to vice-president of Entertainment, a position from which he will manage the company's Entertainment business worldwide, including the museum, theme park, visitor centre and retail markets. Conte was formerly general manager of systems integration for North America and Asia.

"I'm thrilled for this new opportunity to drive the worldwide Entertainment group," says Conte. "I'm surrounded by very smart and dynamic people, and it is this worldwide group of talented people that motivates me every day. Between the outstanding vision and leadership of our executive management team and our tremendous talent base, Electrosonic will continue to accomplish great things."

Conte has worked for systems integrators and design production companies since 1987 and has more than 15 years' experience in audio-visual technology in the

UK - POLARaudio has announced the appointment of Liam Richards as technical support engineer to further strengthen its technical team.

Richards joins POLARaudio after studying sound design technology at The University of Hertfordshire where he specialised in live sound and sound for films. Whilst studying for his degree he worked as a stage manager and a lighting and sound technician for local festivals and theatre groups. Richards will report to Jon Dew-Stanley - technical director and will be responsible for providing technical support on all of POLARaudio's product ranges.

Jon Dew-Stanley comments, "We are delighted to welcome Liam Richards to the POLARaudio team. Liam has been appointed to strengthen our technical support team and will be putting his experience of acoustics in the live sound environment to good use. He has been brought on board to further improve the

UK - J&C Joel has announced that Richard Wright has joined its team as a technical sales representative. Wright brings over 35 years of experience to the role and most recently worked in technical sales for projection screen manufacturer, Harkness Screens (UK).

As well as his in-depth knowledge of J&C Joel's range of PVC projection screens, Wright also has a wealth of experience in working with flame retardant fabrics.

Wright will be based in North London and will be on hand to assist clients in the capital and around the Home Counties.

"After more than 30 years in the industry it's great to work for a company like J&C Joel. I'm looking forward to getting involved and working with the people and products that have given this firm its superb reputation," says Wright.

USA - Audinate reports that David Krall has joined its board of directors. David Krall formerly served as the president and CEO of Avid Technology, and most recently served as the president and COO of Roku.

Krall is also a member of the Board of Directors of Progress Software (NASDAQ: PRGS) and is a Board member and Executive Chairman of QSecure.

"I am extremely impressed how, in such a short time, Audinate has become the darling of the Pro AV industry for its digital media networking technology," said Krall. "From what I can see, Audinate has the only well-conceived transition strategy to provide a complete IP networking solution today plus a migration path as standards like AVB evolve. I look forward to partnering with Audinate's talented management team to help contribute to the success of this innovative company."

"We are incredibly fortunate to

UK - Outline has announced the appointment of Chris Hinds as director of sales for EMEA. Hinds joins Outline following some years as European sales manager at Turbosound.

In addition to direct responsibility for European sales, he will be proactively developing the distributor network throughout the region.

"This is a really exciting opportunity to work with a company who are genuinely innovative, very progressive and with a clear vision of the future," says Hinds. "Obviously I've been aware of Outline for years, particularly because of their relationship with Britannia Row, but when I visited them I was just astounded. Their R&D and manufacturing technology, their knowledge and experience, and most of all their products are just so impressive. I've very proud to be joining the team."

Giorgio Biffi, Outline CEO adds, "Finding the right person is neve

UK - DB Systems has taken on three new members of staff to help facilitate a growing list of clients.

Nobunao Amos, who is fluent in Japanese, has joined as an account manager and will work with DB's design agency and event organiser clients. In addition, Dan Hunt has joined the company's Hire Desk and will handle equipment rental to venues and exhibitors, as well as other AV companies. Meanwhile, Carrie Martinge has joined the company's DBpixelhouse division in an account management and administration capacity.

David Bulley, DB's managing director, said, "We've had a busy start to 2011, which has included contracts in the UK, Europe and Middle East, as well as recent contract wins to be an official AV supplier for Reed Exhibitions and Clarion Events, so the addition of Nobunao, Dan and Carrie to the DB team is most welcome."

(Jim Evans)

Australia - Keith Prestidge has joined Harman's Studer team as sales director, Asia Pacific reporting to Adrian Curtis and with a brief to grow the expanding region in broadcast and performance installations for Studer audio mixing systems.

Previously general manager at Klotz Digital Asia, Prestidge has resided in the territory for 15 years. He started his professional life as a hands-on radio broadcast engineer and has spent 20 years in the industry, which has included periods in project engineering and sales.

"Extending the Studer sales team with Keith based in Sydney will further improve our customer focus in the Asia Pacific sales region," said Curtis. "He will work closely with Tat Nam Yee, our Studer applications engineer already located in our KL, Malaysia office."

Currently spending two weeks training in the Soundcraft Studer factory and Customer

UK - Mention Dave 'Hawkeye' Hawker's name to anyone of a certain age in the industry and they will all have done 'stuff' with him - the big and not so big gigs, live events, parties and practical jokes.

Sennheiser UK's director of engineering was a man who always left a strong impression; a perfectionist's perfectionist and sound engineer par excellence. Never happier than when facing a challenge and putting those 30 years of hardcore experience to full effect, there are so many tales to tell of his technical brilliance, his irascible humour and warm friendship. It's difficult to know where to start. He will be truly missed.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday 1 April at Randalls Park Crematorium, Leatherhead, Surrey at 11.45am. Flowers or donations for St. Catherine's Hospice to be sent to Sherlock Funeral Service, Trellis House, Dorking, RH4 2ES.

Or why not plant

USA - Meyer Sound have said they are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of audio industry pioneer and "dear friend", Owsley 'Bear' Stanley.

"Bear was a great friend and a true inspiration," says John Meyer, CEO and co-founder of Meyer Sound. "We first met Bear in the 1970s, and we worked very closely for many years. His determination to find new technical solutions to improve audio delivery led to our numerous experiments together in the early days of Meyer Sound. He was an uncompromising advocate of audio system clarity, which to this day is still the driving force behind our engineering philosophy."

Helen Meyer, co-founder and executive vice president of Meyer Sound, continues: "Bear was a unique soul unlike anyone else we have known. His energy, talent, and passion have inspired all of us, and we will miss him dearly. In love and gratitude

UK - Electrosonic has announced that Ilari Anttila has been appointedservice director, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Formerly head of the Nordic region managing Electrosonic's operations in Finland and Sweden, Anttila will now be based in London.

In 2010, Electrosonic's audio-visual service business in the UK expanded considerably with the acquisition of DRV, a leading corporate AV systems and service company. Anttila's appointment furthers Electrosonic's commitment to provide the highest level of service to its clients, says the company. Besides managing and expanding business in the UK, Anttila is tasked with promoting Electrosonic's service business throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

"Historically, this business has focused on the London financial sector, but opportunities exist further afield, and I have been charged with developing new business t

Australia - ENTECH 2011, which takes place at SCEC on 19 - 21 July 2011, has secured international lighting designer Rob Halliday to speak during the educational programme at the show through its agreement with PLASA.

Rob Halliday is based in London and has been travelling the world working on theatre productions for more than 15 years, as lighting designer, lighting programmer or visiting speaker at drama schools such as the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts and trade shows such as Showlight, PLASA and LDI.

Along the way he has written about the shows he has been involved with and any other interesting ones he stumbled across for a variety of magazines including Lighting&Sound International and Lighting&Sound America, the best of those articles now collected together in the books Entertainment In Production vols 1 and 2.

In the moments in between, he

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

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