Professional Sound - December 2019 | Page 14

SIGNALS Phil Wagner Returns to SSL as Sr. VP for North America Pro audio industry veteran Phil Wagner has rejoined Solid State Logic (SSL) as its senior VP for North America. The move was made in conjunction with SSL’s new business partnership with Group One Ltd. to manage its U.S. portfolio of audio solutions and operational infrastructure. In his new role, Wagner will be working alongside the Group One senior management team. Wagner has been involved in the audio and entertainment industry for the last four decades. Having started as a recording engineer and technician using SSL consoles, he eventually worked for the company for 17 years, becoming president of U.S. operations in 2005. His career has also included stints as president of U.S. operations for Focusrite Novation and more recent senior management roles at Apogee Electronics and Ocean Way Audio. For more information, go to www.solidstatelogic.com. Powersoft Names Tom Knesel as GM for North America Amplifier manufacturer Powersoft has hired industry veteran Tom Knesel as GM for North America. Knesel is based out of the company’s U.S. head- quarters in Kearny, NJ. The an- nouncement coincides with the company’s increased TOM KNESEL focus on the systems integration market and launch of the Mezzo amplifier platform earlier this year. Before joining Powersoft, Knesel was regional business development man- ager for the Americas for Music Tribe and responsible for driving revenue and managing the region for the company’s commercial audio brands. Prior to that, he served in both sales and executive roles at companies including Ashly Audio, AE Global Media, and others. Powersoft is distributed in Canada by Erikson Audio. For more information, go to www.powersoft.com. 14 PROFESSIONAL SOUND (L-R) SSL’S NIGEL BEAUMONT & PHIL WAGNER WITH GROUP ONE’S BRYAN BRADLEY & JACK KELLY McGill Student Earns First AES Dr. Christian Heil Future of Sound Scholarship To mark the 35 th anniversary of its founding, L-Acoustics has created the AES Dr. Christian Heil Future of Sound scholar- ship in honour of its founder. The first such scholarship has been granted to Ben Creelman, a student at McGill Univer- sity in Montreal, who is pursuing a Master of Music degree in the field of sound recording. The $5,000 scholarship will be granted yearly to graduate students in the field of audio engineering who are members of the AES and who demonstrate curiosity and dedication to shaping the future of sound. For more information, go to www.aes.org/education/ foundation. BEN CREELMAN Kurt Howell Joins NTP Technology as North American Sales Director Industry veteran Kurt Howell has joined NTP Technology as sales director for North America. He joins NTP Technology from Focusrite Pro where he was national sales manager for the U.S. and Canada. “This appointment builds on the recent success of the Penta audio conversion and routing product range for broadcast applications in the North American market,” says NTP Technology Sales Director Mikael Vest. “Kurt is a highly KURT HOWELL respected industry veteran who knows the pro audio and broadcast business inside out. I am convinced that he will significantly strengthen our presence towards our customers and sales channel partners.” For more information, contact NTP Technology: +45-4596-8880, [email protected], www.ntp.dk.