We reveal a selection of recent appointments and partnerships from across the industry.
Crestron
Crestron has announced the expansion of its commercial sales team with three new appointments.
Joining the business development team is Nick Evans (pictured left), who has been running his own ICT consultancy for the past three years.
Philip Waterhouse joins in a newly created role as commercial account manager for the Midlands and the North. Previously at Midwich, Waterhouse has over 20 years of sales experience under his belt and will have specific responsibility for business development and growth within the education sector.
The third addition is Fiona Johnstone who is the new commercial account manager for the south. Johnstone has previously worked for companies including Sony and Barco and most recently Ingram Micro.
“Crestron continues to focus on growing its commercial sales team in order to develop and nurture its relationships with end users and partners,” said Matthew Buck regional sales manager – UK and Ireland.
Avocor
Following the news that Steljes had gone into administration, its founder Nigel Steljes has set up a new company called Avocor, which manufacturers interactive whiteboards.
Avocor has also announced a new partnership agreement with Nureva, which will see Avocor distribute its exclusive product range to UK resellers.
Alongside its own product portfolio, Avocor will offer Nureva’s Span ideation system and Span classroom collaboration system into education, corporate and public sector markets across the UK.
Nigel Steljes, MD of Avocor commented: “We are delighted to have been selected as Nureva’s authorised distributor for the UK, our core company values focus heavily on delivering innovative, market-changing products so the Nureva Span ideation and classroom collaboration system were a natural fit for our business. We are extremely excited to support the growth of Nureva within this market, concentrating heavily on delivering excellent customer service and support.”
Polar Audio
Polar Audio has promoted from within to fill the new role of integrated solutions director with current head of installation Stuart Leader taking the position.
Leader takes on wider responsibility across the whole installation sector, including coordinating system design and heading up the sales management.
His team has also been expanded to manage the growth of the business, with new installed business development manager Adam Brown taking direct responsibility for key accounts in London and the South East. In turn, Jason Spooner and Matthew Farrugia have been appointed to expand Polar Audio’s technical support team.
Polar Audio MD John Midgley commented: “During Stuart’s time at Polar Audio, he has established himself as an integral part of our business and this was a very straightforward decision.”
Stuart Leader added: “I have enjoyed more than four years at Polar Audio, during which time I feel that I’ve made great strides both personally and in terms of helping to develop and grow the business.”
Also at Polar Audio, Tim Riley has been appointed to the newly created positions of brand development director. Riley joins the company from Audio-Technica where he managed UK professional markets as well as working to develop relationships with international online retailers in the UK and Europe.
“I’ve known Tim for more than 20 years, having worked with him in the 1990s and his track record is impressive. The role of brand development director is a perfect fit and will enable us to utilise his skills and experience to best effect,” added Midgley.
d&b audiotechnik
d&b audiotechnik has strengthened its partner network naming SFL Group as an official UK sales partner.
Founded in 1990 SFL specialises in sales support, permanent installations and corporate hire, as well as offering an in-house training program for live production engineers. As AV partner for the Royal Albert Hall, SFL has a leading reputation throughout the UK and international markets, where the company’s commitment to forging productive relationships results in long term added value for customers.
Gianni Abruzzese, Commercial Manager at d&b GB commented: “d&b and SFL have shared a rich twenty-year history. As a key user of d&b products, the expertise and experience the team brings can only be a benefit to d&b and our end users. SFL have an impressive infrastructure, with their dedicated sales, install and corporate rental divisions, fronted by specialist staff who know exactly how to support their customers. SFL shares the d&b education ethos, we see this partnership going from strength to strenght.”
“We are excited about this developing partnership,” confirmed Tom Jeffery, managing director at SFL, “and we look forward to supporting d&b users through supply, installation, and training – and being a centre of excellence for d&b. Purchasing a d&b system isn’t just a one off transaction, it’s an investment into a relationship with a brand and with a supplier that will last the lifetime of your equipment and beyond.”
Community
AVC has been confirmed as the distributor for Community loudspeakers in Russia, to operate in parallel with its long-time distributor Arsenal Music.
“With their core focus being on the installation channel in Russia, AVC is an excellent partner for Community. Their strong infrastructure and excellent technical support ensures that dealers and integrators have full backup and, most importantly, the value added service required from commercial sound through to large engineered projects and specialist outdoor system design,” said Community’s EMEA sales manager Jamie Ward.
Also at Community, Kim Muurholm Juergensen has become APAC sales manager.
Juergensen has worked with Jebsen & Jessen Marketing in Thailand, E-way in China and Danish Interpretation Systems A/S over a 15 year career in pro audio and AV.
He joins Community from Shure Asia, where he held management roles in business and market development.
Michael Peveler has joined wePresent from AMX becoming VP of global sales, an appointment designed to capitalise on the growing demand for wireless collaboration solutions.
Michael brings 17 years of executive level experience at AMX to wePresent, most recently as VP of global education sales.
Shure Distribution UK has announced the appointment of Kevin Beazley to the role of conferencing systems manager.
Beazley joins the Shure Systems Group from an established AV integrator specialising in the design and installation of conferencing systems, where he greatly expanded the company’s business in both the public and private sectors. Prior to this he managed conferencing and CCTV divisions for Bosch.
The appointment has been made to address the increased demand for Shure conferencing microphone technology following the introduction of Microflex Advance and additions to the DIS conferencing range at ISE 2016.
Adamson Systems Engineering has announced the expansion of its APAC team with the addition of James Ritter, who will serve as sales manager for the region. Ritter is tasked with continuing to build relationships and brand perception in the APAC region.
QSC has promoted Frank West to senior director of systems sales, Americas, having joined the company in 2014 following 15 years at Biamp. Elsewhere at QSC, staff engineer Luis Esparza has been named to the board of directors of ALMA International.
Renkus-Heinz has appointed New Delhi-based Acoustic Arts as its new Indian distributor. Founded in 1999, Acoustic Arts is one of the country’s leading AV solutions providers, offering turnkey solutions, design, and project management to AV professionals throughout the Indian subcontinent.
VUE Audiotechnik has added Frank Loyko to the position of VP global sales to oversee the manufacturer’s global sales and distribution activities and initiatives.
