The Pro AV industry is already active in 2024. In case you missed it, here were some of the moves to know from last week.
AVIXA Welcomes Tobias Lang as Secretary-Treasurer of Board of Directors
AVIXA is pleased to announce the special election for the 2024 Secretary-Treasurer has selected Tobias Lang, CEO, LANG AG, as Secretary-Treasurer of the AVIXA Board of Directors.
[AVIXA Report: Sales Growth Rebounds as U.S. GDP Stuns]
Brad Sousa, CTO, AVI Systems, had been elected as Secretary-Treasurer of the Board by AVIXA membership prior to suddenly passing away on November 8, 2023. The Leadership Search Committee held a special election for the Secretary-Treasurer position in December.
A complete listing of the 2024 AVIXA Board of Directors appears below:
- LSC chair: Martin Saul, ICAP Global
- Chair of the Board of Directors: Cathryn Lai, OpenBet
- Vice chair: Jatan Shah, QSC
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Secretary-treasurer: Tobias Lang, LANG AG
Directors: Christian Carrero, prodyTel GmbH; Dorothy Di Stefano, Molten Immersive Art; Nyere Hollingsworth, Grainger; Laila Hede Jensen, Zenova; Gale Moutrey, Steelcase; Kaushik Mukhopadhyay, AVID; Mradul Sharma, 3CDN Workplace Tech; and Bren Walker, Kirkegaard.
Shure Expands Spectrum and Regulatory Affairs Team Globally
Shure is expanding its Spectrum & Regulatory Affairs capabilities.
Guillaume Mascot joins Shure as senior manager, global regulatory policy, in Paris to support its presence in the French and international arenas where issues related to spectrum use and new cybersecurity and AI regulations are debated. With nearly 20 years of leadership experience in government and public affairs within multinational telecommunications companies, Mascot will bring his expertise, network, and in-depth knowledge of the European and Asia-Pacific markets to the development of Shure's institutional strategy. In the French market, Guillaume will be responsible for building sustainable strategic relationships with public decision-makers, regulators, and industry stakeholders. He will also be tasked with increasing Shure's visibility in preserving cultural frequencies alongside European associations and bodies, as well as expanding the company's sphere of influence in the Asia-Pacific and various Francophone regions around the world.
Martin Brock joins Shure as senior manager, global regulatory policy, in London to support spectrum issues in the United Kingdom, Europe, and India, as well as cybersecurity and AI issues developments in the U.K, United States, and India. He joins with 20 years’ operational and policy experience at UK regulator Ofcom, where he led the development of spectrum policy for program making and special events (PMSE) and served for several years as Secretary to FM PT51, the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations’ (CEPT) project team for PMSE frequency management.
Having overseen the introduction of dynamic spectrum access via Ofcom’s TV white spaces framework, Brock maintains an interest in the development of innovative approaches to spectrum sharing, which included project managing Ofcom’s introduction of sharing by low-power audio PMSE with aeronautical radionavigation services in the 960 MHz band, a global first, and bespoke spectrum authorizations in coordination with the UK government.
Bose Professional Names Jim Schanz Vice President of Sales for the Americas
Jim Schanz has joined Bose Professional as the newly appointed VP of sales for the Americas. Schanz brings more than 25 years of Pro AV experience in sales and marketing. In his most recent role as VP of global sales at Shure, he developed and executed a global strategy for integrated systems, leveraging his deep understanding of the customer and trends in the evolving AV industry. In his new role at Bose Professional, Schanz will report to CEO John Maier and will be responsible for leading the sales strategy across the Americas.
[Get Ready for ISE 2024: AV Network Product News and Updates]
“I am incredibly excited about joining Bose Professional,” stated Schanz. “It is an exciting time for the company and our industry. I am looking forward to joining an amazing leadership team and the opportunity to lead a very talented and passionate sales team.”
Craig Sholder Joins SNA Displays as Sales Director, West
Craig Sholder has joined SNA Displays’ sales division and will work out of the company’s downtown Los Angeles office. Sholder, who brings 20 years of sales and business development experience, is primarily responsible for managing accounts in the Western United States.
A seasoned executive in the commercial AV and digital display industry, Sholder also supports SNA Displays’ Preferred Partner channel program. Sholder was previously vice president of sales and later executive vice president of business development at Christie, leading multiple corporate growth initiatives.
Sholder was the first recipient of the prestigious “Big Deal Award” in recognition of his negotiating a $40 million sales contract at Christie. He’s also a co-inventor of Virtual Cinema, an in-home video streaming technology.
Astera Expands Strategically with New CTO and Head of PM
Astera has created a new Product Management Department. Simon Canins was named CTO and Ben Díaz, a seasoned industry professional with a proven track, has been appointed as the head of product management. In his new role, Díaz brings over two decades of experience in product management, business development, sales, technical marketing, and user experience design. His role as senior product manager at ARRI resulted in the creation of the SkyPanel X. Before that, he had been working for SGM light as head of product management where amongst other things he developed the first IP66 lights for the stage lighting industry.
"Being able to delegate responsibilities to someone of Ben’s caliber gives me strong confidence in reaching our company’s goals," Canins said. "Together we will create a seamless integration of product excellence and user-centric strategies, aligning with our ongoing mission to remain at the forefront of technological advancements."
Ikan Welcomes Mack McLaughlin as New Chief Revenue Officer
Mack McLaughlin is joining Ikan as its new Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). McLaughlin brings a wealth of experience from his tenure at FX Design Group, where he served as chief executive officer (CEO) and chief creative officer (CCO). His leadership was instrumental in establishing FX Design Group, a scenic and lighting design firm, in the broadcast industry. His expertise extends across scenic and lighting design, augmented by work in virtual and AR/XR environments.
His diverse career has seen him create exceptional designs for various domains, including theatre, dance, opera, theme parks, corporate events, and television. His multifaceted role as a producer, technical director, and stage manager underlines his versatile talent. His creative achievements have been recognized with two Emmy Awards, highlighting his exceptional skills.
At Ikan, McLaughlin will lead the sales and marketing efforts. His role is especially crucial in launching an array of new, innovative lighting and broadcast products this year. His leadership will be instrumental in driving growth and applying his broad experience and creative vision.
Vegas Sphere Has a New SVP and General Manager
Sphere Entertainment promoted Ed Lunger, a seasoned leader with more than 30 years of venue experience, to SVP and general manager of the Vegas Sphere. Lunger previously served as VP and assistant general manager, back of house operations.
[Everything We Know about the Vegas Sphere, So Far—A Running Blog]
In his new role, Lunger oversees a wide range of functions as part of the overall management of the venue, including building operations, event production, technical operations, guest services, food and beverage, merchandise operations, and ticket operations. He also works cross-functionally across the Sphere organization to develop, execute, and support strategic plans aligned with Sphere’s overall business objectives.
Lunger has been a key member of the Sphere venue leadership team since 2020. Prior to that, he spent seven years on the venue operations team at the Forum arena in Inglewood, CA, which was part of the MSG Family of Companies until its sale in May 2020. His prior experience also includes various venue operations and engineering roles of increasing responsibility at Madison Square Garden in New York, which he first joined in 1989 as an HVAC and mechanical equipment engineer.
Simon Godfrey Named AtlasIED’s Director of Sales for EMEA
AtlasIED has hired Simon Godfrey as director of sales for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). In a newly created role, Godfrey is responsible for sales of all AtlasIED product lines in the three regions, including loudspeakers, the AtlasIED Atmosphere audio processing and control system, the GLOBALCOM enterprise communications platform, and the AtlasIED IPX Series of audio and visual IP endpoints.
With over 20 years of sales experience in audio and entertainment, Godfrey possesses a wealth of experience in account management of European customers. In his roles, he consistently developed new profitable opportunities to support the growth of each company. In his new role, Godfrey will report directly to EVP Matt Czyzewski.
