USA - 2004 marks a 10-year anniversary at Martin Professional for Eric Loader, sales director of the company's top subsidiary sales department based in Florida. Loader's career started in a DJ supply store in the San Francisco bay area, followed by stints in Los Angeles with Towards 2000 (T2k) and American DJ Supply. In 1994 he was hired by Martin Professional to open a sales office in LA to serve the entire west coast. Three years later, he transferred to the Florida office to assume his current role of sales director.

Reflecting on his time at Martin Professional, Loader commented: "When I began, the RoboScan 1220 was our top product and DMX was just starting to be offered in our products. Martin was a strong player back then but certainly not a market leader. Then we went into expansion mode with changes in leadership, an expanding product line, reorganizations, lawsuit

Australia / Singapore - ARX Systems has appointed Robert Yeo as its new Singapore-based regional sales director. A well-known industry veteran, Yeo has been involved with all sectors of the region's pro audio industry for many years. ARX managing director Colin Park comments: "Over the years ARX has developed a major presence in the South East Asian pro audio community as a product solution provider, and with Robert joining the ARX team, this can only be enhanced further."

"Robert's brief is to develop new partners and markets amongst the installers, contractors, production companies and broadcasters in Singapore, Malaysia and the surrounding region for our existing product ranges and of course the exciting new products ARX is releasing through into 2005."

Robert Yeo can be contacted at the e-mail address below.

(Lee Baldock)

Germany - Long-serving EVI Audio general manager Hans-Peter Richter has retired, and is succeeded by Detlev L. Heiringhoff, a graduate in business administration. Richter joined the company as early as 1973, as general manager of the TV-equipment dispatch department. Two years later, he was appointed deputy general manager of Dynacord and Echolette. From 1981 onwards, he occupied the post of general manager of finance, materials administration and production, the post which Heiringhoff now fills.

Heiringhoff graduated in business administration from the University of Dortmund and has worked in logistics and finance. From 1994 to 1996, Heiringhoff served as administrative director of Peek & Cloppenburg KG of Düsseldorf, later taking manageemtn positions at Telecom AG in Frankfurt, Suzuki International Europe in Munich.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - Pro audio distributor Autograph Sales has further expanded its team with the appointment of Louis Van Niekerk. South African born, Van Niekerk moved to the UK to further explore his passion of audio. He has previously worked as a freelance sound operator and has a sound engineering diploma. At Autograph he will serve in a technical support and logistics role, backing up the sales and service department and dealing with the company's wide range of audio products. Other personnel changes include the promotion of Susie Alterman to sales coordinator, after two years working with the company in a support role.

(Lee Baldock)

USA - Brian Dowd, the well-known general manager and East Coast sales manager for TMB, is to join LED lighting effects manufacturer Color Kinetics on 16 August, overseeing sales in the Mid-Atlantic region. An experienced lighting designer and technician, Dowd oversaw sales, operations and business development at TMB, and the launch of the company's New York office. His 27-year career includes sales, management, and technical experience at entertainment lighting companies Main Light Industries Inc and McManus Enterprises, as well as corporate meeting design and technical direction for DuPont Company. Dowd has also been directly involved in the work of several industry bodies, including the ESTA Technical Standards Program.

USA - Behringer has appointed Stephen Fraser as its president at Behringer USA. Michael Deeb, the group chief executive officer, said: "Mr. Fraser brings with him a wealth of experience gained through an admirable history of industry achievements. This appointment heralds a new wave of exciting developments we are bringing to the American (North and South America) and Canadian markets. We are confident that Mr. Fraser will lead our business to even greater heights."

Fraser has previously held several senior-executive positions, predominantly in the financial and service industries. His career has seen a strong focus on customer relationship management, which has translated into consistent bottom-line revenue growth for the companies he has worked for.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - A.C. Lighting has announced the appointment of Lee House as technical sales and support specialist for the company's Lighting division, with particular focus on supporting the new Jands Vista console, the MA Lighting grandMA range and WYSIWYG control software.

House was particularly drawn to the role by the prospect of working on the launch of the revolutionary Vista console with A.C. Jands development team contributors Neil Vann and Glyn O'Donoghue. The Vista officially launches in September at PLASA and represents a radical departure from the traditional method of lighting console programming and design. Having previously played a key role at Flying Pig Systems for four years, House is no newcomer to the console market and brings a wealth of experience to the role. During this time he helped set up the European Technical Support department and provided support for all Hog

UK - Spirit Design Limited has appointed James Hamilton to its design team. Hamilton, who has been living abroad for the past two years, joins the company as a lighting designer. After graduating from Croydon College School Of Art, he was employed at Midnight Design for a number of years, and then worked freelance as an LD for two years before going to the Far East, where he hosted discussions on lighting design in Kuala Lumpur for a performing arts seminar, and worked with Chameleon Touring Systems in Sydney, Australia where he worked on the Rugby World Cup opening ceremony, amongst other events.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - Julie Harper joins White Light from DHA Lighting where she spent over 11 years in various sales, PR and marketing roles. Julie began her career on a West End followspot and after nine years decided it was time to get a proper job so she went to bag gobos for two days a week at DHA.

This proved to be less painful than anticipated so she joined the sales office and was soon writing press releases, which ultimately lead to her overseeing DHA's PR and marketing operations. Latterly, after expressing a conflicting desire to travel and a pathological fear of flying, she was given the role of sales manager for Asia-Pacific establishing and maintaining DHA's overseas dealer network.

Julie subsequently overcame her fear of flying and brings all her experience to White Light, where she is looking forward to in her new role as EPL sales manager, promoting the product ranges - Robert

USA - Alabama-based TLS Inc has appointed Alan Grant as a service and production technician to work with the company's growing list of lighting production customers. Recently employed as a pyrotechnics operator and designer, Grant also has experience as a rigger and lighting technician. He brings 12 years of touring and technical experience to his new job, including a number of large-scale productions such as NSYNC's No Strings Attached, Metallica's Garage Days Revisited and Reba McEntire's Starting Over.

(Lee Baldock)

Europe - Fresh from the Athens Olympic Games' Telmaco production team, Vangelis Ziakas has joined lighting manufacturer High End Systems Inc. as the new southern European sales manager.

Ziakas has eight years of involvement in the light and sound industry. For the last three of those years, he was product manager of High End Systems equipment for Telmaco S.A. in Greece. "I am really interested in High End Systems' digital lighting technology," says Ziakas, "as I believe that is a big 'revolution' for the lighting industry. I will do my best to promote it, and I am certain that my previous experience as well as my knowledge will help."

Based in Athens, Ziakas' territory includes Greece, Turkey, Italy, Serbia, Monaco and more. High End Systems' Tony Magana is handing over this territory to Ziakas. Magana will work out of the HES Europe office in London until

USA - Clay Paky America has announced the appointment of Giovanni Zucchinali as technical product manager. The Italian-born Zucchinali is no stranger to the Clay Paky range of products, having worked in Clay Paky's R&D department for six years and as service/product manager for seven. After a brief spell with another moving light manufacturer, Zucchinali has returned to the Clay Paky family to take a prominent role in Clay Paky's new American office. An Electronic Engineering graduate from Bergamo University, Zucchinali won the 1996 LDI award for Best Lighting Show.

"This is a great opportunity, as well as a challenge, both personally and professionally," says Zucchinali. "Living in a new country is, of course, a great experience. However, helping to raise Clay Paky's profile and status in the United States is a matter of professional pride. It is something that

UK - PLASA Member - MEDC/Next Two Loudspeakers was pleased to introduce its new area sales manager for the United Kingdom and Eire - Tom Blackwell. Formerly employed by Sennheiser as a system consultant specializing in loudspeaker applications. Tom looks forward to working with distributors and system houses alike to realize the benefits of the Next Two range.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

UK - Audient Group has added another member to their sales team - 22 year-old Ross McFarlane. Originally from Glasgow, McFarlane recently graduated from the BA (Hons) Sound Technology course at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), just two years after UK sales manager Nick Pemberton. "My time at LIPA has really helped me see the audio and performing arts industries as a whole. It's a fantastic course and has shown me the ropes in many of the fields inhabited by Audient and LA Audio, so I will be able to communicate with our customers at their level," explains McFarlane, who will fill the role of product specialist, answering technical queries and providing support for both the Audient and LA Audio product ranges.

Audient and LA Audio team can be found on stand EE44 at this year's PLASA exhibition.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - Ian Brown joins Robe UK as sales and marketing manager, where he will be working alongside MD Ian Brown and the rest of the Robe UK team. Bringing a wealth of experience and industry knowledge in the moving light field to the Robe UK equation, Brown's past work includes extensive periods at both Martin Professional and High End Systems. His most recent work, with Stage Electrics, has also given him a hands-on insight into the UK rental market.

The two Ian Browns are very much looking forward to working together. Far from being confusing, "Having two Ian Brown's onboard has the distinct advantage of making it easier for people to remember the contact name," says MD Brown, adding, "It's great to have Ian on-board, "His enthusiasm, tenacity and skills fit perfectly into our future plans."

The latest Ian Brown will be working 'on the road' for Robe U

Germany - Behringer has appointed Joerg Windhorst as deputy general manager for Behringer Germany. Michael Deeb, chief executive officer of the Behringer Group, said: "Mr Windhorst will immediately look to further expanding Behringer's sales network in Europe, which is one of the major markets of the Group today. He will also be directing and strengthening direct-client fulfillment, after-sales service and sales-support operations, and ensuring their integration with the Group's highly-optimized global operations framework."

Prior to joining Behringer, Windhorst was a sales director at Schwarzkopf Professional. He also enjoyed a 13-year career spell with Yamaha Europe, where he served in various sales and marketing positions, culminating as Yamaha's general manager, a position he held for nearly four years. In that capacity, he was primarily responsible for the sales-a

USA - John Wiseman, current VP of business development and worldwide sales, will move into a consulting role with lighting manufacturer High End Systems Inc. In this role, he will continue to work with key accounts and maintain industry relations.

Wiseman said: "Through my career at High End Systems, I have been privileged to sell the most cutting edge technology products to the market and have built the best worldwide sales team in the lighting manufacturing industry. While it's time for my next adventure, I will maintain an on-going business relationship with the company."

CEO Frank Gordon stated: "John and I have shared a long-term professional relationship. I look forward to continuing the partnership and the expertise he brings to the company."

Wiseman remains a director on the HES Board.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

USA - D-Tools Inc. president and CEO Adam Stone, announced that Steve Collard, current chief financial officer of the fast-growing software manufacturing company, will expand his management duties to assume the role of chief operating officer, effective immediately.

"The depth of experience, financial leadership and vision Steve brings to our management team at this important juncture of our growth plan makes this a logical next step for the company," said Stone.

D-Tools is the industry's leading provider of software solutions for audio/video and control system design, installation, job costing, project management and billing for designers and system integrators for both residential and commercial applications.

"The company has been positioning itself for enormous growth, especially in the commercial application sector, with the planned introduction of several

USA Having spent the last three years with Vari-Lite, Sean Hoey has returned to High End Systems to take up the position of sales manager for the south eastern US. Between 1991 and 2001 Hoey was HES sales manager of various US regions, prior to being appointed director of American sales. Hoey said of his return: "I'm home. I'm optimistic about where the company is headed, and I'm very glad to be back where I belong."

CEO Frank Gordon commented: "We couldn't be more pleased to have Sean back at High End. He brings years of valuable industry experience, and we welcome him to our sales team as we move further into the digital lighting market."

(Barry Howse)

France - Digigram, a world leader in innovative digital audio network solutions, announced recently that US based Jimmy Kawalek has been hired as worldwide business development manager for the licensing program of Digigram's patented EtherSound technology.

"There are few people in the world that have as much knowledge and market insight in professional networked audio as Jimmy has. He knows exactly what pro audio manufacturers need to efficiently implement audio networking and remote control capabilities into their products, and he has a proven track record of creating long-term business relations, which are beneficial for all parties. We are very happy to have him on board," said Philippe Delacroix, Digigram managing director.

Kawalek added: "I am very excited to join Digigram and to be part of the EtherSound team. The more I learn about this incredible technol

USA - Bill Morris has returned to High End Systems (HES) Inc in a new role as VP of sales. Based at the company's Austin, Texas headquarters, Morris will oversee sales of HES automated/digital lighting and Wholehog control products in North and South America and Asia.

Morris was VP of worldwide marketing at HES from March 2003 to March 2004. He has spent the last six months running his own marketing consulting firm based in the Austin area. Prior to his stint at High End, Morris was employed by Dell Computer Corporation and was responsible for developing and implementing Dell's software sales and marketing strategy. In earlier years, he founded and managed a marketing and public relations firm based in Dallas, Texas.

HES CEO Frank Gordon says, "We turned to Bill for this position because we recognize that he is customer-oriented, he understands the business and the direct

Denmark - Schouw & Co, the Danish parent company of Martin Professional, has reported that Kristian Kolding has informed the board of directors of Martin Professional that he wishes to resign his position as managing director by the end of the year at the latest. Kolding has steered Martin Professional through a six-year industrialisation process that has more than doubled the company's size, positioning it as the world's leading manufacturer of computer-controlled effect lighting.

Schouw & Co's statement said: "Martin Professional is facing a number of vital challenges. Many new initiatives have already been launched, and several long-term measures are currently being considered. Recognising the long-term perspective of this process of change, Kristian Kolding believes that now is the time to hand over the reins to a new top executive."

Schouw & Co also expressed

Europe - Fons de Vreede has been promoted to a new role as High End Systems European sales director. Based in Utrecht, Netherlands, de Vreede joined the company last August as Sales Manager for Central Europe. Says de Vreede: "With the addition of our new UK Sales Director David Linger and our Southern European Sales Manager Vangelis Ziakas in Greece, we now have a fine and experienced European sales force and an experienced staff in the London office to cover more territory. I am looking forward to working with my two new colleagues as well as our customers in Europe. Especially now - we have such interesting products as our Catalyst and digital lighting range and the new Flying Pig Systems products."

HES CEO Frank Gordon comments: "I am looking forward to the synergy and leadership that Fons will bring to this sales region for High End. His 25 plus years of ind

USA - Super Vision International Inc has appointed Mike Bauer as vice-president of sales and marketing. Bauer has previously served as vice-president of sales for Lighting Corporation of America and vice-president of sales for Cooper Lighting, a billion dollar division of Cooper Industries. Over his six years at Cooper Lighting, Bauer also served as the director of marketing and product development for Lumark, McGraw-Edison and Cooper Utility Lighting, and regional sales manager for the Southeast US. He began his career with General Electric and served as national sales manager for GE Lighting Systems Canada, after extensive roles in production planning, logistics, marketing and product development.

"Mike brings over 16 years of lighting and eight years of senior executive and consulting experience with three of the largest lighting companies in the world, with emphasis in

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