UK - Blaydon Communications has announced that after more than 40 years in charge, managing director Dave Chapman, has decided to retire from the company.

During his reign Chapman has guided the company through many avenues of the sound and communication industry. From the humble beginnings of supplying, installing and maintaining such things as push-button intercoms, right through to the current line of business which includes all aspects of Public Address, pro sound, induction loop, visual systems, digital conference ystems and CCTV.

Throughout his time in the industry Chapman has forged friendships with many fellow distributors and installers assuring him of a respected status both currently and for future ventures that he may be involved in. He has set up distributorships with some major players in the audio industry including TOA, RCF, KV2, Beyerdynamic and many more.

B

USA - Helen Meyer, co-founder and executive vice-president of Meyer Sound Laboratories, has been honoured by California's East Bay Business Times as one of this year's Women of Distinction. The annual award celebrates 25 women who have broken barriers, served as mentors to other women, and left a mark on East Bay business.

"I'm honoured to be included among such an interesting and diverse group of women who have led and supported the community in the East Bay," says Meyer. "I thank the East Bay Business Times and all the other sponsors for their support of our accomplishments in business and in life."

(Jim Evans)

USA - Renkus-Heinz has named Scott Pizzo as East Coast regional sales manager for the USA in a newly created position. Renkus-Heinz president Harro Heinz comments: "We created this regional manager position in order to maintain and strengthen our support for dealers and their key customers. The demand for our products continues to grow as more people become aware of the superior value and performance they provide. At the same time, the advanced technologies we have brought to market in the past couple of years require a high level of support and training. Since our factory and headquarters are on the West Coast, the eastern region was an easy choice as the first priority for an expansion of our sales organization."

"We're very pleased to have Scott Pizzo on board to work with our dealers and reps in the eastern states," said National Sales Manager David Rahn.

UK - Design and installation company Audio Light Systems Ltd has appointed Steve Dishon as audio-visual manager to consolidate the expansion of the commercial and residential side of the company's business. Prior to his appointment, Steve managed the sales and installation of another systems integrator for over 10 years and is an accomplished Crestron programmer and IT engineer.

Eddy O'Hare, director of Audio Light Systems, said he was delighted with the appointment and comments: "Steve brings valuable expertise to the company as our expansion in the AV field is moving at pace!"

(Lee Baldock)

UK - Martin Audio has expanded its UK sales force with the recruitment of the experienced Al Brown. Before entering the corporate world, Brown ran his own successful contracting and installation company for 12 years, specialising in the student and conference markets. He then turned his degree in electronics to further good use, first working for the SSE Group as sales and production manager before joining Harman Pro UK as tour sound manager.

Brown will be working in a similar capacity at Martin Audio where he will be handling national sales, specialising in the top end touring and installation portfolio.

"I have had an association with Martin Audio going back nearly 20 years and this is an exciting time to be joining the company," he said.

Martin Audio sales and marketing director Rob Lingfield, added: "We are delighted to welcome someone with Al's experience

Singapore - Clockaudio has opened a subsidiary sales office in Singapore, recruiting Robert Yeo, a well-known industry figure in the region, to head up the operation across Singapore and Malaysia. Yeo will be showcasing the Clockaudio portfolio of British-built microphone products for AV and conferencing applications at the forthcoming PALME show in Singapore next month.

Yeo has been in the audio industry for nearly 25 years, his first job as a service engineer for Singapore's nightclub scene. A founder member of TEAM 108, he helped build a well-known sales and installation operation dealing in both sound and lighting technologies. As success grew, Team 108 secured its first international distribution rights, and began to design and specify large turnkey projects, expanding into other sectors of the market such as broadcasting studios and hotel function suites.

In the late 90s

USA - The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced that audio pioneer Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser is to be inducted into its Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame. The 95-year-old founder of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG is one of 12 honourees for 2008, and has been chosen by the expert jury in the category 'Founders and Inventors'.

"We are as excited about this announcement as Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser himself," said Volker Bartels, speaker for the Sennheiser executive team. "Fritz Sennheiser still takes a keen interest in the company he founded, and feels very honoured by this recognition from the American consumer electronics industry."

Under the management of Fritz Sennheiser, who also taught RF wireless technology and electro-acoustics at Hanover University, the family-owned company designed many important innovations. These included the

Singapore - Selecon has announced the addition of Tony Tan to the sales team at Selecon Asia. As the sales manager for South East Asia, Tony will be responsible for working directly with end users to build the Selecon business in the region whilst maintaining relationships with current dealers in South East Asia.

Reporting to Phil Sargent, Selecon's market manager for Asia & the Middle East, Tony will work out of Singapore to assist with the on-going development and support of Selecon's position as a leader in fixed luminaire technology for theatrical and entertainment lighting.

"Tony's appointment as a full-time Singapore-based member of our global team is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure the highest levels of service to our customers and is a direct result of our strong success in South East Asia. Together with Tony's appointment Selecon is also happy to announc

USA - Apollo Design Technology Inc, the US-based manufacturer and distributor of custom gobos and lighting effects accessories, has announced two staff changes, with one promotion and one new addition to its team.

To best support its growing sales outside the US, Milad Khouli has been promoted to senior executive - international sales within Apollo's marketing group, while new recruit Rachel Arroyo has joined the inside sales team and will be the main contact and provide daily support to Apollo's international dealers.

"In our search for the best candidate to further Apollo's position in international markets, we decided we already had him," said Monty McWilliams, Apollo's VP of marketing. "Milad's industry experience, proven ability to develop strong relationships, loyalty to the Apollo philosophy, and willingness to travel and be more visible in these markets,

UK - Surrey-based Marquee Installations is pleased to announce the appointment of Rob Whitaker as senior project manager. Whitaker's responsibility will be wide ranging across all applications of installed audio, from paging, BGM and distributed audio and video, through to FOH PA.

Well known in the industry, Whitaker began his pro audio career straight from school, starting with a 3-year Sound and Production BTEC course in Birmingham. Following experience in music retail and studio recording, Whitaker joined a major leisure group as stage crew; leaving as group technical manager 8-years later. He then spent a period working in theatre and live venues before moving into project management.

"Finding people like Rob, with such a well balanced combination of hands-on and management experience across a wide range of applications is rare", comments Marquee Installations MD

Mexico - Bosch Communications Systems has announced the appointment of Ernesto Montanez as its new sles manager for Mexico. Based at the Robert Bosch office in Mexico City, Montanez will oversee all Bosch Communications Systems' current sales channel partners in Mexico, effective 28 April 2008.

Montanez brings over 10 years of professional audio experience to this position. A native of Mexico City, Montanez joins Bosch Communications Systems after working for the past two years as the sales manager Pro Audio for Sennheiser Mexico. Prior to that, Montanez worked for eight years for Multimedia, an AV integrator operating in Mexico City and Monterrey.

Franck Fabry, director of export sales for Bosch Communications Systems, comments: "The healthy sales results Bosch Communications Systems experienced in the past two years shows that professional audio, conferencing, and publi

UK - Martin Audio's long-serving finance director, Anthony Taylor, has been appointed to the role of joint managing director with immediate effect.

The move, warmly welcomed by Martin Audio's parent company Loud Technologies, is seen as strategic succession planning, although current CEO and managing director David Bissett-Powell, who recommended the appointment, says he has no thoughts of standing down at present.

"Anthony has worked with me for many years and although he is a well qualified chartered accountant he has also become very commercial in his operation within the company. These balanced business skills mean that he can handle a great deal of the day to day responsibility and future direction of Martin Audio and, hopefully, allow me sufficient time to assist with other LOUD functions as well as continuing my focus on our distribution in China."

Anthony T

UK - Liz Maw has joined Stage Electrics in Bristol as health and safety manager. Maw comes from Gloucestershire County Council where her role was as health and safety advisor. Of her new position she says, "This is a challenging role in an interesting industry. I look forward to developing procedures which will benefit the company."

Also in Bristol, Gareth Matchwick has joined Stage Electrics as safety services coordinator. Gareth has an extensive background in sales and marketing and his most recent role was as BDM for Expertise Training, the second largest training company in the UK.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Bosch Communication Systems has announced the appointment of Daniel Nix as vice-president of sales - Americas for the Pro Audio Group.

Nix previously served as principal of The Nix Agency, a southwest rep firm, and has been part of the Bosch family for the past five years. Prior to the Nix Agency, he served as VP of sales for a national contracting firm, sales manager for a national retail music chain, and has extensive experience in film and theatre technical production and digital music production.

Nix remarks: "Our heritage of industry-leading brands like Electro-Voice, Midas, Dynacord, and Klark Teknik, now combined with the strength and resources of Bosch, forges new opportunities in our converging markets. I am pleased and honored to join such a wonderful family of people and manufacturers who passionately dedicate themselves to this industry."

(Jim Eva

UK - Show Presentation Services (SPS) has appointed Peter Davies to the role of creative producer and video director. Davies has extensive experience as a freelance consultant, working as both creative producer and scriptwriter. He has also produced content for major live events.

In his new role, Davies has become an integral part of the SPS team, working closely with a number of high profile clients. He is responsible for the shaping and delivery of all communications requirements, from live events, right though to video and online campaigns.

Robin Coles, managing director at SPS commented: "I am delighted that Peter has come onboard and he is a great boost to the creative arm of our business. Peter will be very active in managing projects and working with clients to develop meaningful content that meets their communication goals."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Lighting designer Dave Byars (Beautiful South, Young Knives, Blur, Deacon Blue & many more) has joined the product development team at Manchester based LED innovators, i-Pix.

He and i-Pix founder Chris Ewington have worked closely on various projects since Ewington launched the original Pixel range of products into the entertainment market in 2003. Byars used these products, and has also been a keen advocate of the first i-Pix fixture - the Satellite - and more recently their new BB range - integrating these into his designs and creative work.

"We're delighted to be working with Dave and to have someone of his touring experience on the team," declares Ewington, "His appointment also reinforces our commitment to ensuring that working LD's are actively involved in our product creation and development". This is one of the areas which helps keep I-Pix uniq

Germany - HK Audio has named Oliver Rückle as the company's new head of international sales. Prior to joining HK Audio, he spent seven years with beyerdynamic in Heilbronn, first as sales manager and then as product manager.

"I have great expectations for my new job at HK Audio, and I relish this opportunity to continue working for a global brand with a reputation for excellence," commented Rückle. His primary duties at HK Audio comprise caring for customers and managing marketing and sales activities.

Export director Andreas Mayerl added: "We are confident that Oliver is the perfect addition to our team, and are happy to have him join us in our efforts to drive our brand's controlled global growth."

(Jim Evans)

Canada - Ross Video has announced the appointment of Marcel Fontaine, as regional sales manager for the Southwest USA. Fontaine joins the sales team after working for Ross as a demonstration artist and trainer for six years. He is currently located in Vancouver, BC, but will be based in Southern California and will report to Kyle Luther, national sales manager for USA.

"Marcel is going to be a great addition to our already strong team of regional sales managers," said Kyle Luther. "His demonstrated abilities as a TD are well noted, and his sales professionalism and familiarity with our award winning product line will allow him to make an immediate impact and contribution to the region and the industry."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Frank Lambrechts has joined Rosco's sales force in line with Rosco's commitment to further developing their international business, and to further increase awareness of their custom gobo service.

Reporting to business development manager, Katrin Schlueter, Frank comes to Rosco with considerable experience of working with lighting designers in Belgium and with an in depth knowledge of the Rosco product range.

Having spent the last two and a half years years at Rosco dealer Candela, developing their Rosco business, Frank has the ideal background to develop the Rosco brand in Benelux and Northern France.

Frank will focus his attention and considerable energy on end users ensuring that theatres, lighting designers, TV Studios and filmmakers understand the breadth of the Rosco range and the value it brings to their productions, whilst Katrin will continue to support the Rosc

South Africa - The DWR Distribution sales team has been strengthened with the addition of Robert Izzett. "This is part of a planned company expansion," says Duncan Riley, MD of the leading South African lighting sales company which distributes premium brands like Robe moving lights, Avolites and MA lighting consoles and Strong.

Izzett brings many years of industry experience to DWR, the last eight of those were spent at Electrosonic, before which he worked in the event industry. He also has a diploma in sound engineering.

"I'm delighted to have Robert onboard," says Riley, "People and service are the most important thing in this business. I was specifically looking for someone with a broad hands-on knowledge of our industry and the specific demands of that environment, as well as good product awareness. It's really vital to have the right people in the

USA - Digidesign has announced the appointment of Kevin McLaughlin to the position of vice-president of engineering. In his new position, McLaughlin will oversee the development of Digidesign's audio software and hardware product line.

McLaughlin comes to Digidesign after several years as vice president of engineering at Cisco Systems' Desktop Switching Business Unit, where he led a team of more than 500, overseeing the development of a diverse line of system hardware and software. He has also held executive positions at Silicon Graphics and Cray Research.

"We're pleased to welcome Kevin to Digidesign," remarked Tex Schenkkan, Digidesign's chief operating officer. "He brings a wealth of varied experiences, a strong understanding of large-scale systems development, a broad perspective on engineering and technology, as well as leadership and management skills that

USA - Aviom has confirmed the promotion of Jeff Lange from consultant liaison to consultant liaison & training manager. "With his experience in the field and in designing complex systems, Jeff understands what contractors and consultants need and can move back and forth from the technical and theoretical to the very practical," says Chandler Collison, director of marketing. "In many ways, we're simply formalizing what Jeff has been doing for sometime now."

Aviom will launch the training programme at this year's InfoComm show where Lange will teach two courses: Audio Distribution Applications with Aviom's Pro16 Series and Audio Networking with Aviom's Pro64 Series.

The Netherlands - Peter de Kroon, MD of Projecta BV has announced his resignation and the appointment of his successor, John Hussa.

"After 12 years of working in an inspiring environment and industry I am informing you that I have decided to resign from my position as managing director of Projecta BV from 1st May 2008, "says Peter de Kroon.

"Although I will stay connected with Projecta for the remainder of 2008, I herewith want to thank you for the pleasant and fruitful cooperation that I have enjoyed when working with you during all these years. I am also grateful for the confidence that you had in me and the company in the years that we have been building the Projecta position in the projection screen market.

"At the same time, it is my pleasure to announce the appointment of John Hussa as my successor and new managing director of Projecta BV. John is a

Austria - Mettmann-based VLM recently has appointed Walter Hubacek as sales manager for Austria. Hubacek will be responsible for furthering the expansion of VLM Austria. His tasks will include looking after and winning new customers, optimizing the sales structure, project development and market

Andreas Hellwig, general sales manager, VLM comments: "We took a long time over this personnel decision. Finally, in Walter Hubacek we found exactly the candidate we wanted for this important position. VLM Austria will be a source of very great satisfaction before long."

(Jim Evans)

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