people news
People News Headlines
04/03/2013
XL Video Appoints Lucas Covers as Group CEO
15/02/2013
Timothy Dorwart Appointed Community CEO
30/08/2012
Avolites Ltd Appoints New Directors
Randy Green appointed Lighthouse Chief Technology Officer
Lighthouse Technologies has announced the promotion of Randy Green to the position of chief technology officer.
Randy 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, Randy 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,” says Peter Chan, Lighthouse’s managing director. “He is a valuable systems expert and is passionate about technical excellence. He is the ideal person to take on the global role of chief technology officer. He will be a great asset in charting our next phase of growth.”
“I am proud to have been part of helping the company regain its market leading position over the last five years and I am looking forward to continuing this trend,” says Randy. “There is a significant amount of innovation within Lighthouse and its affiliated companies and it is my goal to leverage these innovations, together with our strong technical legacy, into exciting new products for our expanding world markets.”
16th May 2013
PR Lighting Sales Promotions will boost Global Strength
PR Lighting has announced some strategic personnel changes as it strives to consolidate its expansion across the globe.
The experience and dedication of both Anna Zhang and Mary Ma have been recognised — with the former promoted to the important role of sales manager (for the Americas) and the latter to sales assistant supervisor.
Both are long-serving and loyal members of the successful sales team. Anna has been working with PR Lighting for the past seven years, developing through the ranks, first as sales assistant and sales supervisor, before being confirmed as sales manager.
Confirming the new appointment, sales director Ernie Armas said: “Anna’s career development has been impressive over such a short amount of time; she is also the first to have reached the key position of overseeing sales in the most important territory, after starting in an entry level role.”
He added that her passion and customer devotion resulted from her willingness to understand regional markets, and research the best strategies to further develop them. “She is someone who is very much in tune with both the logistical considerations of the industry as well as the creativity required to achieve sales goals.”
During her eight years with PR Lighting, Mary Ma has developed a wide global knowledge, assisting the sales mission in every territory. “With such a broad lateral experience, she is a kind of Wikipedia of the International Sales Dept,” continued Armas. “She has a keen sense of organisation, grasps concepts very quickly and effortlessly integrates the philosophy of the company into her daily activities.”
The two appointments take place with immediate effect.
In picture: Anna Zhang and Mary Ma
10th April 2013
Harman Professional Makes Key Promotions at Lighting Strategic Business Unit
With the completion of its acquisition of Martin Professional and the foundation of a lighting business unit within Harman Professional, Harman has announced two key promotions that, according to Blake Augsburger, president Harman Professional, will position the business unit for optimal development while capitalizing on selective shared resources and relationships with Harman Professional.
Effective immediately, Lars Dige Knudsen is promoted to vice president, general manager, Lighting Strategic Business Unit, Harman Professional (taking over from Martin’s previous CEO Christian Engsted), and Villads Thomsen is promoted to vice president, Global Sales, Lighting Strategic Business Unit, Harman Professional. Knudsen, a 17-year veteran of Martin Professional, previously held the position of CFO and Thomsen, previously vice president of sales, EMEA at Martin Professional, has held senior sales leadership positions over a 14-year career at Martin.
"Harman’s acquisition of Martin Professional makes excellent business sense from an economic, geographic and strategic point of view but also from a talent perspective as evidenced by the promotions of Lars Dige Knudsen and Villads Thomsen," Augsburger said today. "Both are experienced, accomplished and ambitious executives with a strong commitment to grow Harman Professional’s Lighting Strategic Business Unit and serve customers around the globe with the best possible professional lighting technologies. I look forward to working with Lars and Villads and providing them with all the resources and support that they need to make the very most of this acquisition."
As CFO, Lars Dige Knudsen was central to transforming Martin Professional into the world’s leading supplier of entertainment lighting. In addition to his general management responsibilities, he will continue to head shared services including finance, IT, legal and human resources. Lars Dige Knudsen holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Finance & Auditing from Aarhus Business College.
Commenting on his promotion, Lars Dige Knudsen noted: "Harman acquired Martin Professional because Blake Augsburger and his team saw value and potential. I am delighted to be tasked with realizing the value and achieving the potential of Martin Professional within Harman and to lead the new Harman Professional Lighting Strategic Business Unit. I look forward to working with the other professional division business units to evolve and grow together."
Villads Thomsen has led successful sales programs for Martin Professional in several key territories in Europe and Asia. Most recently, he led the consolidation of Martin Professional’s European and Africa organizations into a strong, unified EMEA region. He is a graduate of the Administration and Management program at Aarhus Business College, holds an MBA from Henley Business School and has participated in several executive programs at IMD and Insead.
Villads commented: "With new powerful ownership, I’m excited to take part in what is certain to take Martin ‘to the next level’. Being part of Harman will not only cement the current position of Martin Professional in the lighting industry but will also bring new innovations to the benefit of existing and new customers."
In picture: Lars Dige Knudsen (top) and Villads Thomsen.
7th March 2013
XL Video Appoints Lucas Covers as Group CEO
XL Video has announced the appointment of Lucas Covers (pictured), former CEO of De Boer Structures and Philips Home Networks as its new chief executive officer for the Group. His management experience in closely related businesses will be a valuable asset to XL Video for the further expansion of the business.
XL Video, established in 1996, is recognized internationally as a leading player in state-of-the-art video technology, through services and rental activities, for major concert tours, trade fairs and corporate events, TV shows and theatre, sports and other events.
The group decided to reinforce its top management given its high ambition to further develop the company. Chairman of the board of directors, Chris Depreeuw says: "We are delighted to have Lucas Covers on board. This appointment must be seen as the next logical step in the evolution of XL Video. After a rewarding year 2012, the time has come to further accelerate our growth path."
Since its establishment in 1996 XL Video has grown to an international group employing around 250 people with a turnover of EUR 80 million. The recent announcement of the new managing directors in the US, Ron Sreenan, and France, Cédric Bruzac, and this new appointment clearly illustrate the ambition level of the Group to further expand its business.
Lucas Covers has served as a senior executive at Philips where he held several international positions. These included the management of the digital video business, Philips Home Networks, located in Paris. In 2008 he became CEO of De Boer Structures, a leading international supplier of temporary and semi-permanent structures. Lucas said: "I am excited to join a market leading company like XL Video and I look forward to further strengthen the company’s position in this attractive and challenging video technology industry."
René de Keyzer, founder and board member of XL Video, will take up his role as founder-president, with particular responsibility for strategic projects and global sales in close collaboration with Lucas.
Rene de Keyzer commented: "I welcome Lucas as part of the team and look forward to a close collaboration. He can bring additional expertise to the group that will benefit all stakeholders."
4th March 2013
Timothy Dorwart Appointed Community CEO
Community Professional Loudspeakers has announced the appointment of Timothy Dorwart (pictured) as CEO. Dorwart brings over 30 years of sales, manufacturing and management experience in the pro audio and music industries. In his new role, he is tasked with overseeing the company’s overall business and sales strategies, and leading Community into a new era of exceptional growth.
Dorwart’s previous roles have included director and VP positions with Bose Corporation and DMX Music. Since 2007, he led the Stanton Group through a successful turnaround as their CEO. Dorwart joins Community from Gibson Guitar Corporation where he held the position of general manager, Pro Audio and guided the integration of Stanton Group assets to form Gibson's new Pro Audio Division.
"I am delighted to join Community at a pivotal time in their history," said Dorwart. "The company is poised for considerable expansion and I look forward to leading the company into the future."
Dorwart joins Community at an important stage of the company’s development. The company started as a loudspeaker component and lighting company 45 years ago when it was founded by current president and chief engineer Bruce Howze. Today Community is a prominent loudspeaker manufacturer with an advanced product range, supplying acoustic solutions to high profile installations worldwide and enjoying its highest level of sales in domestic and international markets.
"Community has continued to grow throughout the economic recession, with its diverse profile of high value, high performance outdoor and installation products," remarked Howze. "I’m confident that under Tim’s leadership, Community will not only continue its strong performance, but start an upward trajectory of unprecedented growth. Tim will be the major driving force in the company’s future. I’m thrilled to welcome him to Community."
15th February 2013
Martin Audio Recruits Chris Pyne as APAC Technical Support
Martin Audio has appointed one of the world’s leading sound engineers as its new technical support specialist for the Asia Pacific region (APAC).
Chris Pyne, a veteran on the major international touring circuit spanning three decades, will takes up his new role with immediate effect, having decided to quit touring in favour of “a more normal life” with his family back in his native Australia.
Based in Melbourne he will represent Martin Audio throughout South-east Asia, Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia as well as Australia and New Zealand.
Pyne joins the Martin Audio technical application support team, which includes Andy Davies and his counterpart Jim Jorgensen in the United States. His role will provide him with an exciting challenge as the premium MLA platform continues to gather global momentum.
As FOH sound engineer and system tech his client roster reads like a who’s who of showbiz and includes artists such as Kyle Minogue, Il Divo, Jennifer Lopez and Westlife.
He accepted the new position after being introduced to technical applications manager, Andy Davies by Paul Timmins from Martin Audio rental partner, Capital Sound. “With my experience of Martin Audio touring systems it seemed a very easy decision to make,” he continued.
Commenting on the appointment, Martin Audio MD, Anthony Taylor, said: "I am excited that Chris has elected to join Martin Audio. His depth of experience and knowledge will be a great addition and completes the initial phase of ensuring we have on the ground technical support in each of the key regions. Our goal is to ensure we are providing leading edge service and support to complement what I believe is the best performing touring system in the world.”
After running an MLA demo rig at the 02 Arena in London for the first time in late 2010 he was sold. “As most engineers know this venue is a major test of any speaker system, and that MLA was something special was evident from the moment it was switched on.”
More recently he attended an MLA Compact demo, which he said represented “a great demonstration of the surface avoidance settings and the fact you can steer the array electronically to cover areas that may not have been in the initial seating plan … which is a just brilliant.”
Prior to that Chris Pyne had toured and system teched many festivals in the UK and special events with Capital Sound, using their W8L Longbow (and other line array derivatives) over a ten year period. And during his formative years as a sound engineer he also toured clubs and pubs with the legendary Philishave.
“It’s rare these days that revolutionary products like the MLA appear,” summarised Martin Audio’s new recruit. “To provide sound engineers and system techs with the ability to manipulate sound in the ways you can with the MLA VU-NET [software] is quite astounding.
“I look forward to helping Martin Audio’s client network and distributors in the APAC region with MLA and other products and their applications … as well as representing them at various trade shows throughout the region.”
15th November 2012
L-Acoustics Focuses on Asian Market with Key Appointment
L-Acoustics strengthens its commitment to the Asian market by announcing the appointment of David Cooper as regional sales manager for the territories of China, Japan, Korea and South-East Asia.
David Cooper has developed a strong career in sales and marketing for a number of professional audio manufacturers, notably in the Asia Pacific region. In his new role as regional sales manager he will be responsible for building solid and supportive relationships with Asian counterparts to aid in distribution as well as developing sales targets in Asia. An important part of this activity is maintaining and developing business activities with L-Acoustics representatives and supporting their projects through technical and commercial advice and support.
Jochen Frohn, director of business development states: “Here at L-Acoustics we take our appointments very seriously, and for this position we were looking for someone with management expertise who would also be an asset in the Asian region. With David’s track record of performance and technical expertise, we are confident that we will enjoy collaborating with him, and are very pleased to have him on board.”
“L-Acoustics has become a leader in its field and I’ve long admired the way this status has been achieved,” comments David Cooper. “My perception is that the brand has innovation and quality at its core, and this was evident during my visits to the HQ at Marcoussis. I was also struck by the very friendly, team based, vibrant atmosphere that runs through the company and this made a very big decision actually quite easy for me. I am now really looking forward to reinforcing the L-acoustics brand values and developing strong relationships with our distribution partners in the Asian region as well as adding value to the team as a whole.”
14th November 2012
PR Lighting Promotes Sasha Xiong to Assistant Sales Director
PR Lighting has announced the promotion of one of its long-term employees to international assistant sales director. Sasha Xiong (pictured) joined the company eight years ago as sales manager, with responsibility for the Asia Pacific countries.
PR quickly recognised the excellence of her work and entrusted her with more countries, including Africa and the Middle East. Sasha's strong comprehension of the market and her insightfulness within the PR Lighting team were essential to the lighting manufacturer’s success in the international markets.
Commented international sales director, Ernie Armas: “We strive to build long term relationships not only with our customers but also our employees. It is just as important for us to mentor and develop the talent and skills of our sales force, as it is a key asset to everyone's success.
“I very much look forward to working with Sasha in her new role.”
4th September 2012
Avolites Ltd Appoints New Directors
Avolites Ltd has appointed Koy Neminathan to the position of sales director and JB Toby as technical director, effective immediately.
Since joining Avolites Ltd in February 2000 Neminathan has become an indispensable member of the core sales team and has been instrumental in energizing the company’s longstanding sales success.
Neminathan, whose experience at Avolites encompasses the job of business development manager from 2006 and then as sales manager from 2009, succeeds Steve Warren who will remain as an active director of Avolites Ltd while also acting as managing director of fast-growing Avolites Media Ltd - a position he took on in September 2011.
As sales director of Avolites, Neminathan will continue to oversee and expand the vast International distribution network and also manage the UK sales team.
JB Toby has an equally strong and proven track record at Avolites Ltd having worked extensively within the research and development department since he joined in August 1994. Toby is the creator of the ART dimming range and team leader on projects such as the D4, Tiger Touch, Sapphire Touch and Sapphire Media as well as the Avolites Media Ai range of products. As technical director Toby will continue the user driven product development aided by the creative and multi-talented team at Avolites.
Welcoming the two newly made appointments, Steve Warren states: “I’m delighted to welcome Koy and JB into their new positions at Avolites. Their talent, commitment and drive are unquestionable. Restructuring the board ofdirectors will enable us to further expand and strengthen our capabilities within all industry fields. Their unique understanding of the company's goals and needs, as well as the close relationship they have with our customers, means that they have an uncapped ability to drive the company forward.
The formidable Avolites board of directors, boasts 113 years of industry experience and is completed by Meena Varatharajan and Richard Salzedo who remain as directors in their current roles.
In picture: Koy Neminathan and JB Toby, recently appointed Avolites sales director technical director respectively.
30th August 2012
Philips Vari-Lite Reinforces Sales and Marketing Team
In a move to strengthen its sales and marketing operations, Philips Vari-Lite has announced that Brad Schiller (pictured) has been named as the new product marketing manager. With over 25 years of experience in the automated lighting industry, Schiller will oversee the development of the complete line of Philips Vari-Lite automated luminaires while also operating as a key contact for lighting dealers, designers and end-users worldwide.
"We are extremely excited to bring in a product marketing manager of Brad’s caliber," said Bob Schacherl, Philips Vari-Lite vice president of worldwide sales and marketing. "Through his established knowledge and expertise in the industry, Brad understands the legacy and quality of our product line and we feel confident that he will continue the work before him to build our global brand even stronger."
With extensive experience as a as a programmer, designer, manufacturer, and support specialist, Schiller was previously a product marketing manager at High End Systems where he was involved with product development including Wholehog consoles as well as digital and automated luminaires. Highlights of his programming and design work include the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies, 68th Annual Academy Awards, MTV Music Video Awards, Metallica, The Smashing Pumpkins, and numerous corporate events. He is also the author of The Automated Lighting Programmer's Handbook and a featured columnist in Projection Lights & Staging News (PLSN).
"When I was presented with the opportunity to join Philips Vari-Lite, I knew this was where I wanted to be," stated Schiller. "As a programmer and designer, I have enjoyed working with Vari*Lite automated luminaires. They’re known for their consistency and quality, and I look forward to continuing that tradition while overseeing the future development of the complete product family during a long career with Philips Vari-Lite."
