Appointments

New promotions at dBTech

dBTechnologies has promoted Giovanni Barbieri to the role of general manager in addition to appointing Luca Bocci as sales manager for Africa and the Middle East. Barbieri first joined the Bologna-based pro audio manufacturer in 2009 as its export sales manager, becoming business development manager in 2011 and serving as sales and marketing director since 2012, while Bocci served most recently as the manufacturer’s export sales manager. In the 10 years that Barbieri has been a part of the RCF Group-owned manufacturer, revenue has tripled, as has the worldwide distribution of its products with dBTechnologies solutions now reaching more than 160 countries.

Giovanni Barbieri with Arturo Vicari

Barbieri reflected on how dBTechnologies was a smaller company, both in terms of turnover and workforce, when he joined a decade ago. ‘What we have achieved and will achieve is mainly thanks to the team we have built, which lays the ground for other challenges and further growth,’ he said. ‘For this reason, I am honoured with this new assignment and I would like to thank Mr Vicari and the entire dBTechnologies team. Additionally, Luca’s appointment is part of a bigger strategy in redesigning our export sales’ game plan, and is further evidence of our commitment to enlarge dBTechnologies’ base of users in burgeoning markets.’

As Middle East and Africa sales manager, Bocci will report to head of export sales Flavio Malpighi. ‘When I joined the company I immediately realised the huge potential of dBtechnologies’ product series, especially the touring series VIO,’ commented Bocci. ‘Now I look forward to working closely with an established network of distributors to develop some strategic new partnerships, which for sure will take advantage of the many plus points that our professional audio systems have to offer to both rental companies and audio integrators.’

Nexo appoints STM specialist

Nexo has appointed Bertrand Billon to the role of engineering support specialist, where he will take responsibility over the company’s line array systems with a particular focus on the STM series. Billon began his engineering career as a PA technician and engineer for Dispatch, which became known as Dushow. This was followed with a role as the head of sound at Stage Entertainment where he gained experience in managing technical and crewing aspects of the events staged in the Mogador Theatre.

Bertrand Billon

‘Coming to Nexo gives me the opportunity to focus once more on PA systems, which was my first occupation and passion,’ said Billon. ‘A great support engineer should be a very good listener, reacting to customer requests and feedback, not only able to fix their problems, but able to avoid them in the first place through proper training and communication.’

CT expands ME team

Creative Technology (CT) Middle East has expanded its team with two new appointments. Lee Forde will become the new general manager of the CT branch in Dubai and Rob Turner will become the networks technical manager.

Lee Forde

Forde has 33 years of technical and managerial experience across areas in the events industry while holding several senior management positions throughout his career so far. For his new role, Forde will be overseeing the daily operations while assisting Andy Reardon, the managing director of CT Middle East, to enhance and expand the company. ‘It is an exciting time for the Middle East as we continue to grow and expand our team of professionals,’ said Reardon. ‘I am looking forward to working closely with Lee and wish him all the best going forward.’

Rob Turner

Turner has joined CT to develop the newly established communications and networking division to deliver communication projects. He has over 24 years of AV experience, 10 of which were within the fields of communications, networks and radio sounds at Delta Sound. Turner added: ‘I am very much looking forward to getting involved in this new project. With the backing of CT, I really think we can bring something new and exciting to the comms/network market.’

GatesAir hires MEA regional sales manager

Graham Lay has been named as the regional sales manager covering the Middle East and Africa at GatesAir. The appointment comes as the manufacturer of wireless, over-theair content delivery solutions continues to strengthen its global presence in the MEA region. Lay is based in Dubai and will report to GatesAir’s EMEA managing director, Andy McClelland. His primary role will be to build the manufacturer’s market share and brand visibility across the Middle East and East Africa.

Graham Lay

‘Graham has invested a substantial amount of time and effort in building his customer base, and his knowledge of regional trends and cultures makes him a perfect fit in this new role,’ explained Rich Redmond, president and managing director, international at GatesAir. ‘In the bigger picture, Graham’s appointment represents GatesAir’s continued commitment to strengthening our local and regional teams in every international region, and positioning the company for long-term global success.’

Lay relocated to Dubai in 2015 when he became the MEA business unit leader for IEWC’s Argosy Cable brand. ‘GatesAir has built a reputation for expertly managing high-volume business opportunities and many of the world’s largest digital transition projects,’ Lay commented. ‘Their recent establishment of a new business and manufacturing centre in Europe, and aggressive sales and business development expansion, has magnified GatesAir’s presence throughout the EMEA region.

I look forward to working with the greater EMEA team to strengthen our brand in the Middle East and eastern Africa. We see enormous opportunity to help broadcasters refresh FM radio infrastructure and drive large, national digital TV and DAB radio transitions that generate new revenue and service opportunities for our customers.’

Kramer names new CEO

Itzhak Bambagi has taken over the role of chief executive officer at Kramer Electronics. Bambagi’s background includes key executive roles at IBM and Digital/Compaq over the course of nearly two decades. Bambagi possesses vast experience in software and cloud developments and this will be key in driving Kramer’s strategy of gearing products towards tighter integration, software and cloud-driven functionality.

Itzhak Bambagi

‘Bringing software and cloud components further into the pro AV arena is the next step,’ commented Bambagi. ‘By allowing remote support and management, we can bring standard uniformity to multisite installations, wherever they are in the world. Hassle-free solutions and an outstanding user experience are key and my IBM experience will assist in delivering technology that behaves in ways that are wholly familiar to – and expected by – IT departments.’

Dr Kramer, who serves as president and chairman of the company he founded, commented: ‘We are incredibly excited to share this fantastic appointment. Itzhak’s decades of experience in sales, service and operational management paired with his deep understanding of advanced networking and cloud technology will be invaluable assets as Kramer meets the continuing challenges of the converging pro AV and IT industries.’

First female interns join eclipse

As part of its annual internship programme, eclipse has welcomed Georgia Griffiths and Amelia Norcup-Brown, the first female interns to work at the company. Both have recently graduated from universities in the UK. Griffiths completed her studies in Audio Recording and Production at the University of Hertfordshire and Norcup-Brown has an FdA in Live Events Production from the Backstage Academy.

‘We are ecstatic to welcome our first female interns,’ commented Shiella Manzano, group human resources manager at eclipse. ‘We feel that the addition of these two young, aspiring ladies in a male-dominated industry is a strong statement of our commitment to building an inclusive and diverse talent pool not only within the company but to the industry as a whole.’

Both interns will be assigned a mentor to aid them during their six-month placement.

Georgia Griffiths and Amelia Norcup-Brown

‘Our goal is to equip those who are keen to pursue a career in live events production with the skills necessary to get a solid foundation in the industry that prepares them to grow, prosper and find their success in the real world,’ said Richard Bearpark, head of video at eclipse Staging Services.

John Parkhouse, eclipse Staging Services’ head of audio, added: ‘The internship at eclipse has been a fantastic opportunity for us to bring in the next generation of audio technicians. The fact that we have employed two previous interns full-time, both of whom have deservedly earned and been promoted to audio engineer status recently, is a true testament to the progressive environment and high level of concentrated training we undertake.’

Digital Projection appoints ME regional manager

Nizar Nasser has been appointed to the role of regional manager for the Middle East at Digital Projection. He will be helping with the company’s expansion and client support programme in the EMEA region. He has spent 10 years working at Crestron as a regional sales manager for Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and a business development manager for the Middle East.

Nizar Nasser

‘Digital Projection has a unique position in the region, with state-of-the-art technology to offer a comprehensive range of solutions to customers,’ said Nasser. ‘Being in a supportive work environment is vital in providing the right customer experience and I have been welcomed to Digital Projection with open arms. I am looking forward to developing the fantastic opportunities the ME region has to offer and gain even more traction for the brand.’

QSC promotes Ron Marchant

QSC has promoted Ron Marchant to the role of senior director for sales and marketing in EMEA. He now takes responsibility for all QSC sales and marketing in the region and continues to report to Markus Winkler, QSC’s SVP for Asia and EMEA. ‘I am thrilled to have Ron in an expanded role,’ said Winkler. ‘He has

been invaluable in developing the QSC brand and working closely to enrich our relationships with our partners, and I look forward to his continued effort and teamwork to increase our presence throughout EMEA.’

Mathieu Pobeda joins Active Audio and APG

Mathieu Pobeda has joined Active Audio and APG as the new R&D director for both companies. He will oversee the development of new products, with a strong emphasis on acoustics and transducers. Pobeda’s career stretches back 20 years. For the last eight years, he worked for Nexo, designing complete systems as an electro-acoustic engineer. He also recently completed a master’s degree in Business Unit Management at the ESSEC Business School in Paris.

Mathieu Pobeda

‘Active Audio and APG’s vision – which was explained by CEO Régis Cazin – was very appealing to me,’ explained Pobeda. ‘I know there to be a lot of clever and talented people at the company; some of whom I have been in contact with for the last decade. From a personal point of view, the prospect of being able to use both my technical and my recently sanctioned management skills was a key factor in accepting a new challenge.’

Pobeda added that he doesn’t want to make big changes right away at Active Audio and APG. Instead, he wants to immerse himself in the companies’ philosophy and methodologies. ‘Nobody wants to drop straight into a company and start changing everything overnight, especially when the structure has been established for some time,’ he explained. ‘You need to make sure that the changes you want to implement are valid and will stand the test of time. I’m very confident that I’ll be backed up by the top management in that mission.’