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Technological Innovations Group (TIG), has appointed Christophe Fortune to the position of Regional Sales Manager for France and Iberia. Reporting directly to Steven Dullaert, Christophe will focus on driving sales of Oblong’s Mezzanine solution. With over 20 years of experience in the telecom and IT indus- try, Christophe is well versed in the industry. His background in business development, predominantly on IT digital transformation projects and the integration of unified communications solutions will prove valuable in identifying and maintaining key business partnerships.


The role requires Christophe to support TIG in meeting compa- ny-wide revenue growth targets, alongside working to develop and implement business plans to increase profitability in the south west region. Christophe will drive sales from concept to comple- tion and will draw on his prior knowledge of the market to identify new leads.


“I am pleased to join Technological Innovations Group at this exciting stage for the business. TIG offers an unparalleled vision of how to integrate and transform a traditional AV background into a new business trajectory, driven by software intelligence like Ob- long, which presents exciting opportunities in the collaboration space,” commented Christophe Fortune. “I’m looking forward to engaging with our existing and future business partners, to show- case the highest quality of brands”.


TIG continues to form new relationships with brands at the fore- front of cutting-edge technology, to add to its growing portfolio including, Crestron and Mezzanine by Oblong Industries


And for the hat-trick, Technological Innovations Group (TIG) has strengthened its team in France with the appointment of four ex- perienced professionals; Pierre Léonard, Brice Niger, Christian Charrier and Clément Plombin. Joining TIG as a Regional Sales Manager is Pierre Léonard. Pierre will be responsible for driving sales from start to completion, developing relationships with ex- isting markets alongside identifying new business opportunities in the Northern, East and West parts of France.


“Joining Crestron is a new step in my career. My experience and knowledge of the IT and AV business models and customers at European Level in the last 23 years will help Crestron to win new market share on the territory”, Pierre adds.Brice Niger has ac- cepted the position as Business Development Manager for France. Brice will be instrumental to the sales team and responsible for driving and supporting the sale of Crestron FLEX solutions. Brice will be pivotal to TIG’s growth in the French market and contribute directly to acquiring new business leads. “I’m very pleased to be a part the Crestron family. I am looking forward to working together with the Unified Communication strategic channels in South Europe to develop Crestron as the unique player for unified end user meeting expe- rience.” Another addition to TIG’s Regional Sales portfolio is Christian Charrier.


Christian will take care of major accounts in France.


With experience in sales as a key account manager, Christian is a great fit to the team and will help to sell TIG solutions by develop- ing and implementing a successful business strategy. “I am very pleased and proud to have joined the Cre- stron team which gives me the opportunity to bring solutions to our clients through a very large line of products renowned for their qualities and performances inside AV and IT market”, Christian comments. Taking on the role as Sales Engineer for France is Clément Plom- bin. As the technical expert of the team, Clément will form close relationships with the sales managers and support with the design and specification project stages. Clément will be the main techni- cal contact for customers and assist with any queries at the pre- sales level, informing customers of the latest and most innovative technologies.


TIG has appointed Christophe Fortune to the position of Regional Sales Manager for France and Iberia.


In a second announcement, Technological Innovations Group (TIG) has announced the appointment of Renaat De Wilde as Regional Director Middle East. Renaat will be leading Crestron’s sales team in the Middle East with the goal of sustainably growing the busi- ness and building up a strong regional team that can offer the best smart space AV and control technology to customers providing sys- tems solutions and training. Renaat has twenty years of experience and has held Sales Direc- tor roles in the AV and Professional Lighting industry, during which he has lived in Europe, China, the US and Australia. Renaat commented: “I am extremely honoured to be joining the highly professional and experienced team. The AV world is at the crossroads of the evolution into an IT centric business, which will offer tremendous opportunities for our markets in the future. My goal is, together with our experienced team in the Middle East, to provide best in class solutions for our end customers and for our trusted partners in the region. I am looking forward to a joint suc- cessful business with all of you in the future!”Announcing the ap- pointment, TIG’s CEO, Robin van Meeuwen said: “We’re pleased to have Renaat join the team as we have an ambitious strategy to provide the best in solutions for smart spaces that we know cus- tomers in the Middle East will be inspired and excited by.”


Clément comments, “I am very excited to be joining the TIG team and working with high-quality, innovative solutions and as part of an established team. I’m looking forward to supporting my col- leagues with the growth of sales and contributing to TIG’s contin- ued success.”


VuWall has announced new engineering and sales hires in the United States. Francisco Provencio has been appointed application engineer while Christian Cooper joins as account manager for the East Coast. These new positions will provide additional resources for customers throughout the U.S. as VuWall continues to grow globally. Currently, VuWall has more than 1000 deployments in over 45 coun- tries, with more than 200 in the U.S. alone. As this number continues to grow, expanding the U.S. service and sales support team is a critical step toward healthy growth for the company. This is a continuation in overall North American corporate strategy, as earlier in the year, VuWall added resources to its marketing and inside sales teams at its Canadi- an headquarters.


“As the demand for agile and scalable video wall and control room systems increases rapidly, VuWall has become the chosen solution pro- vider for many installations in the U.S.,” said Paul Vander Plaetse, CEO. “Building a solid American team will make it easier to help our customers achieve a superior visualization experience. Francisco and Christian have years of expertise that will ensure customers are well supported in every step of the design and deployment process.” Provencio, based in Atlanta, Georgia, has more than 10 years of in- ternational experience in the AV industry - specialising in control rooms - having held both technical engineering and sales roles. In this new position, Provencio will focus on the U.S. market, supporting AV inte- grators and consultants with project designs, technical drawings, and on-site or remote customer demos. Cooper, based in Miami, Florida, is a seasoned AV sales manager with broad experience and technical expertise in control rooms, display walls, and digital signage for utility companies, emergency operation centres, traffic management centres, and other critical infrastructure industries. Prior to joining VuWall, he served as regional sales manag- er for Mitsubishi Electric. Cooper will focus on supporting integrators, consultants, and end users with their video wall projects. “We are thrilled to have Francisco and Christian join our team. In ad- dition to being an excellent fit with the VuWall culture, bringing them on board is perfectly aligned with our consultative approach to sales,” says Maryse Montagne, sales director of North America at VuWall. “Their technical expertise was a critical part in our selection process as we strive to help our customers make informed decisions in their control room projects.”


VuWall has announced new engineering and sales hires. Francisco Provencio has been appointed application engineer while Christian Cooper joins as account manager for the East Coast


TIG has strengthened its team in France with the appointment of four experienced professionals; Pierre Léonard, Brice Niger, Christian Charrier and Clément Plombin.


Mersive Technologies has expanded its European sales team with the appointment of Johan Cederberg as Regional Sales Manager and Monika Lozano Cruz as Sales Engineer for Nordics, Baltics and the Netherlands. At the same time, the company announced the appointment of Van Domburg Partners, a Midwich Group com- pany, as distributor in the Netherlands. Commenting, Jeff Meyer, General Manager Europe, Middle East and Africa at Mersive, said: “The launch of the award-winning Mersive Solstice Gen 3 Pod has led to a significant uptick in Eu- ropean customer interest from businesses, government bodies and educational establishments. These appointments give us a stron- ger footprint in Northern Europe, allowing us to serve our growing customer base there better. Johan and Monica are experienced and talented individuals who will be an asset to our fast-growing sales team here.” Mersive now has a 16 strong team in Europe with local sales and technical support resources located in Germany, France, the Mid- dle East, UK, Central Europe and the Nordics. It also has Channel Managers in the UK and France.


TIG has announced the appointment of Renaat De Wilde as Regional Director Middle East.


Johan Cederberg brings Mersive over 20 years’ experience in technical sales and account management. Previously he was Nor- dic Sales Manager for ViewSonic, and prior to this he held sales management positions at Wacom Europe and Smart Technologies. Monica Lozano Cruz joins Mersive from Cisco Systems, where she spent seven years, including four as Systems Engineer supporting public sector clients including UN and European Union organiza- tions as well as education customers.


Powersoft has appointed industry veteran Tom Knesel to the position of General Manager, North America. Knesel, who will be located at the company’s US headquarters in Kearny, NJ and who will report directly to Luca Giorgi, Sales and Business Development Director, Powersoft. The announcement follows the successful relocation of Powersoft’s North American headquarters two years ago and coincides with the company’s increased focus on the systems integration market and launch of the Mez- zo amplifier platform earlier this year. “We are very pleased to welcome Tom into the Powersoft family,” com- mented Luca Giorgi. “Two years ago, we began a significant restructuring of our U.S. operations, which included relocating our headquarters to the east coast, hiring new operational and sales staff, and realigning our entire North American sales rep network. Having successfully completed these tasks, we are perfectly positioned in this region for sustained growth and net new revenue opportunities.” “Tom brings over two decades of industry experience to his new role as GM, as well as a solid understanding of the overall competitive market context,” Giorgi continued. “Further, he shares the same family values as our organisation and is committed to leading our US team towards increased success in the U.S. Before joining Powersoft, Knesel was Regional Business Development Manager, Americas, for MUSIC Tribe and responsible for driving revenue and managing the Americas for the company’s commercial audio brands — including Midas, Klark Teknik, Lake, Lab Gruppen, TC Electronics, Tannoy and Turbosound. Prior to that, Knesel spent several years in the manufacturer, design and systems integration markets, serving in both sales and executive roles at companies including Ashly Audio, AE Global Media and others. Knesel studied engineering at Southern Polytechnic State University.


“I am truly excited to be joining such an innovative, close-knit team of professionals,” said Knesel. “The most distinguishing factor in Powersoft’s brand is its passion. This factor, combined with the experience of our US team and the market- leading innovations coming from our home office in Italy, will continue to differentiate us in the North American region. I look forward to playing an integral role within our global team and helping to accelerate our success.”


AV News November 2019 P19


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