USA - Meyer Sound has promoted Luke Jenks to the newly created position of director of product management. Most recently serving as the company's loudspeaker product manager, Jenks now represents the full range of company solutions, from loudspeakers to show control, system optimization, and passive and active acoustic systems.

As director of product management, Jenks is responsible for defining market needs, articulating customer requirements, and representing customer feedback throughout the lifecycle of a product. He also assumes direction of a newly formed product management team that encompasses market requirement definition, new product introductions, and technical documentation.

The team includes Richard Bugg, audio show control product manager, Todd Meier, digital products manager, Greg Thomas, technical writer, and Rong Wang, new product introduction technical project

UK - As part of an ongoing process of preparing for the next wave of growth, Martin Audio has recently made two new strategic hires.

First, Bash Akhtar has joined as operations director. He has previously served as operations and manufacturing director of RLC Callender, Smiths Detection, and Harmonic Inc. Bash has earned a Fellowship in Manufacturing Management from Cranfield University and is a manufacturing systems engineer from the University of Hertfordshire.

Secondly, David Morbey has joined as the company's first dedicated Product Manager. He has previously served as global product marketing manager at D&M Professional.

Commenting on the hires, James King, director of marketing, said, "We're delighted to have Bash and David join us as we continue to build a world class team. Their expertise will enable us to further grow the business and support our customer base.

Italy - Powersoft, a leader in the manufacture of efficient, high-power professional amplifier products, has appointed Gilberto Morejon as regional sales manager for the Caribbean and Latin America (CALA) market. Gilberto will be handling sales for Powersoft, facilitating product demonstrations, and providing design assistance and technical support throughout the Latin American region from his office in Miramar, Florida.

An industry veteran, Gilberto has worked in professional audio for 30 years, with roles including sound engineer for Grammy Award-winning artists like Carlos Vives 1994-2011, Franco de Vita 1992-1998, Luis Enrique, Julio Iglesias, and many others. Gilberto has also been involved in the technical production of shows such as Cirque du Soleil, Anthrax, Joaquin Cortes and Luciano Pavarotti.

A significant part of his work will be to increase Powersoft's presence in

UK - Paul Nunnington, product manager at Sennheiser UK, passed away peacefully on 9 June - his 42nd birthday - after a brave six-year battle with cancer.

Paul ('Nunners'), began his career at Project Music in 1987 and went on to work for Shuttlesound, Sound Technology and Sennheiser. Close friend Stephanie Dell of Sound Marketing told LSi: "He loved his work and spoke warmly of the great friends he had made in our industry. His dry-witted story-telling was legendary - his observations were funny and sharp but always affectionately delivered. Nunners was an incredibly popular guy. In the ten years I knew him, I never heard a bad word said about him. He loved nothing better than to be with his people, at home and at work. First and foremost Paul was a family man who absolutely adored his wife Karen and children Alex and Cara. Paul approached his illness from the outset with e

UK - TSL has announced that Tim Roffey has joined their team, as head of rigging. Tim has a long career in the rigging and events industries, having previously worked for Unusual Rigging, his own business Special Project Solutions and most recently as a director of Media Power House.

TSL have decided to establish a separate rigging division to focus on a wide range of projects, requiring equipment rental, design and specification. TSL's MD Sam Tamplin commented, "We are glad to have Tim's experience and skill to add to our team and to focus on growing our capabilities in the rigging market."

Tim Roffey added, "I am excited to be involved with TSL, as they continue to expand as a brand and operation. TSL's commitment to investing in quality equipment and their high production values are smoothing I am proud to be associated with. I am looking forward to getting i

USA - Bosch Security Systems has announced the appointment of Michael Doucot to the position of product marketing manager, Electro-Voice Portable Sound - North America.

Doucot moves into this key marketing role after a successful 10 years in customer service and sales with the company, most recently as a regional sales manager for the central US region. Doucot will continue to be based at EV HQ in Burnsville, Minn.

Doucot's new responsibilities include the development and implementation of marketing strategies for EV retail products - including portable loudspeakers, microphones, and electronics - and serving as a focal point for the voice of customer.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Ron Bonner, PLASA's technical resources manager for the last 12 years, has left PLASA to start his own consulting company, Arbec Ltd. The new venture is a direct result of the volume of requests recieved from members and non-members alike for specialist assistance on a one-to-one basis that he was unable to provide in his original role at PLASA. However, Bonner has not completely parted company with PLASA as he is now providing Technical Resource support for PLASA through Arbec. Arbec offers a range of technical and health and safety services to PLASA members and the industry in general (with discounts for PLASA members). To contact Ron, email: ron@arbec.co.uk

UK - Doughty Engineering has appointed Mathew Brake as the newest member of its export team, where his experience and customer service skills will provide customers with greater continuity, complementing the two existing part time members of staff.

Speaking of Mathew's appointment, Laurence Dyer, Doughty's UK sales representative, said, "In the short time that Mathew has been with us, we've already noted his great potential. He hit the ground running on day one and has demonstrated his excellent customer service skills, expertly dealing with some very challenging customer requests. Being a full time member of the export department, Mathew's skills and experience will allow me to focus on carrying out my customer facing role to greater effect, which will inevitably lead to a better experience for both new and existing clients."

Mathew, who was previously with K-Tech R

UK - Liverpool, UK-based Sound, Light & Visual production solutions provider Adlib, has just appointed Mike Docksey as general manager to oversee its fast expanding Lighting & AV divisions. In a challenging economic climate, Adlib, headed by Andy Dockerty which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary, has been steadily building an infrastructure to support and evolve its growing global portfolio of clients.

Adlib's MD Andy Dockerty said: "Mike has undertaken to work alongside the directors and managers at Adlib to help strengthen the brand across all genres and disciplines. He will be overseeing the whole lighting and AV operation with a view to implementing positive and progressive steps to fulfil the aspirations of the company."

"His role will see him forging new bonds, reinforcing existing relationships and helping the sales, rental and operations teams del

USA - Production Resource Group LLC (PRG) has announced today that Stephen Lambright has joined its executive leadership team as vice president of marketing.

With over 20 years of international marketing and brand development experience, Lambright will be responsible for the company's global marketing strategies, implementation of marketing programs that enhance and expand PRG's industry leadership, and promotion of PRG innovations to partners and clients. As a member of the company's executive leadership team, Lambright will report to PRG's CEO, Jeremiah Harris.

"Steve is a welcome addition to our team," said Harris. "He has demonstrated thoughtful and creative leadership as an executive throughout his career and is a talented marketer who delivers results. Steve joins us at a perfect time to build a global marketing organization within PRG that will support an

UK - Midwich has appointed Jon Dew-Stanley as director of solution sales. Jon brings a wealth of AV management experience to Midwich, having been director of commercial audio specialists Polar Audio for the past 13 years. During that spell, he was both technical director and sales director, bringing both commercial and technical design experience to the Midwich group. He is also a past winner of the coveted AV Awards technical person of the year award.

Jon said: "I am delighted to be joining the Midwich group in this new and exciting role. I'll be assisting our client partners to successfully design and deploy innovative technical audio visual solutions using the latest technologies available from our vendors.

"Midwich are a company I know well from my time in the industry and I look forward to contributing to their business objectives with comprehensive, collaborati

UK - Reading-based event lighting specialist, Blinding Light has announced the addition of Dominic Sheerman to its in-house project management team. With 30 years' of experience in the lighting industry and 16 years specialising in the provision of lighting and rigging services for the corporate and special events market, Sheerman is a valued edition to the growing Blinding Light team.

During his extensive experience in the sector, Sheerman has worked with major brands and production companies servicing a number of sectors including automotive, technology, finance and pharmaceutical across Europe and North America.

Over the last two years, the Blinding Light team has gone from strength to strength and Sheerman now joins over 20 colleagues based at the company's Reading offices and warehouse facility. The addition of Sheerman enhances the line-up of industry stalwarts at Blindi

UK - As announced at the ABTT Theatre Show Awards, Peter Lambert has been presented with the ABTT Award for Technician of the Year 2014.

A leading production electrician since 1998 - when his break came working on ShowBoat at London's Prince of Wales Theatre for the legendary Richard Pilbrow - his many years of experience has made him one of the most sort-after technicians around.

Whilst working as a casual on the original 1983 West End production of Singin' in the Rain at the London Palladium, Peter studied for his City & Guilds 181 & 236(1) Theatre Electricians Course - a training course delivered by the ABTT - graduating in 1984.

This was followed by two years at the Palace Theatre as a charge hand, seeing in the Cameron Mackintosh/Royal Shakespeare Company production of Les Misérables. Further experience on West End musicals and UK tours follo

Germany - 2014's second quarter draws to a close and Laserworld AG continues to expand and recruits new employees for their marketing team.

The importance of a compelling online presence in text, picture and video increases with every year, hence at Laserworld they are glad to welcome Sabrina Mitchell in their marketing department. As a marketing assistant she supports the existing team for online media in their work and will be responsible for the web presence of several projects and subsidiaries.

"Thanks to her knowledge and experience in design and media technology, Mrs. Mitchell will be an asset to our marketing team and we expect new impulses from her in order to even further boost the Laserworld brand globally," explains Norbert Stangl, sales and marketing director of the Laserworld Group.

Benjamin Weizenegger is another new marketing assistant at Laserworld.

USA - Audio industry veteran Michael Reeves passed away of injuries sustained in an accident when an automobile collided with him while riding his road bike in Monterey, California on June 21, 2014.

Michael's wife Mary and daughter Katy were close by, at home and many family and friends were able to assemble quickly to support and comfort them during the tragedy.

Michael was a well-known, larger-than-life character who loved to take everything to the extreme. Whether it was his work in the pro-audio business, his skill as a waterman, in cycling, in aviation, scuba diving, woodworking, photography or in music he would engage each one with great zeal. He was an avid cyclist who rode every week and loved to participate in long range cycling events known as Century Rides.

Michael MacDonald, President of ATK Audiotek, recalls Reeves as "the consummate salesman who loved to t

UK - Technical production company Hawthorns has recruited Rachel Waterfield as head of sales & marketing. With offices in London and Leicestershire, Hawthorns, have been busy expanding over recent years, most recently adding Cambridge based technical production company Anagram to their brand portfolio.

Waterfield brings 25 years of event industry experience to the role, and has previously held positions at companies including Hilton, Mask and MotivAction. Commenting on her appointment, managing director of Hawthorns, Martin Hawthorn said, "This is an exciting time for Hawthorns and Rachel is a welcome addition to the management team. Her remit includes exploring how we can best leverage the strengths of our existing brands within the business, develop the customer experience and ensure we not only retain our valued clients but continue to increase our market share."

UK - Audient has added a new technical staff member - Harry Lewis. Since his arrival at Audient, Harry has worked to upgrade and simplify the online technical help desk, populating it with factsheets and answers to frequently asked questions.

Already known for its quick and informative responses to customer queries, Audient adds convenience with an attractive new design for its online support page, making it easier to navigate directly to the answer to your problem, either by product or using a simple search function. This section of the website continues to grow, too; Audient is constantly adding to the already jam-packed knowledge base with useful hints, trouble-shooting guides and FAQs.

Many of the factsheets are illustrated by handwritten notes and easy-to-understand drawings, to help decipher some of the more complicated audio explanations such as clocking and harmonic di

Italy - Clay Paky has achieved extraordinary sales results throughout the world in recent years, thanks to luminaires like the Sharpy and the B-EYE, which lighting designers and rental companies have appreciated for their innovation and profitability. This however does not mean Clay Paky may now rest on its laurels. Quite the opposite. Pio Nahum, the company's sales and marketing director, has decided to give a new boost to promotion activities on the field and work with greater commitment to support end-users and distributors.

To achieve this goal, a new position has been created - head of international sales. The job has been assigned to Alberico D'Amato who, as from 1 July, will be responsible for coordinating all internal area sales managers and external regional sales representatives in their dealings with distributors and customers.

Alberico D'Amato has worked as a Clay

Germany - Lawo, German manufacturer of audio and video broadcast solutions, has appointed Ralf Schimmel as director of global sales. In his new post, he is responsible for the strategic orientation and coordination of worldwide sales activities for all products, systems and solutions from the Lawo Group of companies. His appointment coincides with the expansion of Lawo's international activities, as well as an expansion of the company's audio, video, software, and IP networking technology product portfolio.

"I am looking forward to my new role with Lawo. I am joining at an important time for an expanding company, with exciting opportunities for the future opening up," says Schimmel.

"In our new market position, it is important to co-ordinate the worldwide sales of individual Lawo companies for an effective market-driven strategy. We are delighted that Ralf Schim

UK - Rosco, a leading manufacturer of products for the entertainment industry has welcomed a new member to its EMEA sales team. Canna Gray has been appointed Senior Account Manager focusing on the UK Photographic Market as well as key accounts in the Balkans, Cyprus, Malta and Moldova.

Gray comes with 20 years' experience within the live entertainment, film/TV and photography industries. Originally from Pretoria in South Africa, she started her career in the early '90s touring with various rock and roll, dance and theatre productions in South Africa and Holiday on Ice and Disney on Ice internationally.

During that time, Canna gained tremendous experience working in several areas of the production industry, including: stage and production management, lighting and pyrotechnics. Most recently, Canna spent the past five years successfully looking after business development for the

UK - Le Mark has produced a video with no product info or sales incentives, "just a great video to help promote a charity which aims to rid our lives of a disease that has affected so many of us, either through our own personal experiences or when supporting friends & family".

The girls at Le Mark, determined as ever, teamed up and do their bit to help the fight against cancer and the company is supporting them all the way. If you can, please support the girls at Parker's Piece in Cambridge on 20 July 2014 at 11am.

Donate: justgiving.com/peasinapod Video Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfKkEareaB0

(Jim Evans)

Germany - Loudspeaker system manufacturer d&b audiotechnik has appointed Amnon Harman as CEO effective 7 July 7, 2014. In this newly created position, Harman will drive the continued success of the German premium provider, taking responsibility for the further development and implementation of the company strategy.

Prior to joining d&b, Harman was an independent consultant. From 2006 to 2012 he served as chairman of the management board of Augusta Technologie AG, an international technology company focused on niche markets for optical sensor technology and digital image processing. Previously, he was a member of the management board and COO at Suse Linux AG, where he took over the position as vice president and COO of the EMEA region after a sale to Novell Inc., a specialist for network and internet software products.

Harman holds degrees in industrial engineering and aeronaut

UK - Following a period of reorganisation at Yamaha Commercial Audio's UK operation, the company has confirmed its new sales and technical support team.

Mixing long-term experience with 'new blood', the team is headed by Robert Webster, Yamaha Commercial Audio UK's new divisional director, who has been with Yamaha for 30 years. Previously in charge of both the Electronic Keyboard and AV Divisions, Robert's intimate knowledge of Yamaha, its products and customer base makes him the ideal leader of the new team, says the company.

Working closely with Robert is Karl Christmas, who occupies the new position of sales & marketing manager for UK and Ireland. Karl has been a very familiar face to Commercial Audio customers for over two decades and he will continue to be very 'hands on' with dealer and end-user relations.

Meanwhile, Northern and Southern regional sales will be handled

Europe - Meyer Sound has strengthened its European technical services with the appointment of Oskar Meijer as senior technical support specialist. Meijer brings a wealth of field experience working with Meyer Sound products, including the newest Leo family of line array systems.

In his new position, Meijer will support Meyer Sound's European customers in the design and optimisation of loudspeaker and digital audio systems, on-site project commissioning, and after-sale customer training. He will work closely with the technical support teams in Europe and at the company's Berkeley, California headquarters.

Meijer has more than 20 years of experience in the design, configuration, and commissioning of complex audio systems, and has worked as a stage technician, ground rigger, and project manager. He has served as a lead systems technician at major European festivals such as Way Ou

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