Graham Eales has joined Philips Entertainment Lighting as entertainment controls systems director, Europe. "Graham has had an extensive career in our industry starting in his native South Africa as an apprentice in theatre in the Natal Performing Arts Council," says Peter Rogers, senior director entertainment marketing, Philips Lighting. "Graham worked in all areas of lighting with the resident opera, dance, and drama companies. He concluded his career there as the resident lighting designer for the Loft Theatre company."
Eales left South Africa to join Selecon where over a six-year period, he worked in Asia and then globally as sales manager eventually moving to the UK to set up the Selecon European business. Most recently, he was managing director for Zero 88.
"The breadth of product and technologies that Philips owns will allow us to set the standard in control of systems that are coming to dominate the entertainment and architainment lighting businesses," notes Eales. "Our wide range of Strand Lighting dimming, control and networking products combined with our Selecon luminaire range are powerful tools on which we will be working to build and develop our entertainment businesses."
Rogers has also announced that other company changes are afoot in North America: "In December we will move our Cypress customer service operations into our primary manufacturing and support facility in Dallas, Texas. Following on our move of manufacturing to Dallas in March this completes our program to consolidate and build our operation in Texas to include all of our major business activities into a single larger organization," he says. "As an integrated business this will leverage our capability to achieve strong customer service and support strong product innovation, the key to growth in our entertainment industry."