Erik Tarkiainen joins Harman Pro as VP of global marketing
Published: ASIA
WORLD: Erik Tarkiainen has joined Harman Professional as vice president of global marketing. Effective immediately, Mr Tarkiainen will lead global marketing strategy and execution across the Professional Division, driving new initiatives in online marketing, social media, PR, events marketing and education. The company stated that the appointment signals its intent to advance branding and communications with partners and customers worldwide.
‘Erik Tarkiainen is an excellent addition to a strong team and I am confident he will lead a comprehensive programme that couples Harman’s unique heritage and depth with progressive, entrepreneurial and engaging communications,’ said Blake Augsburger, president of Harman Pro. ‘Harman Professional has made strong advances on the product and organisational aspects of our business and now is the time to effectively position and promote the unique value we bring to partners and customers around the world. Erik is just the leader to take on that role.’
‘Erik’s background in audio, marketing and digital strategy positions him as a unique person for this role. His experience will help us elevate our brand communications and educational programmes,’ added Ralph Santana, chief marketing officer. ‘Most importantly, he will evangelise our emerging technologies and platforms in a way that solidifies Harman’s global reputation in new and exciting ways.’
Mr Tarkiainen’s previous experience includes serving as VP of marketing communications for Line 6, where he led global marketing strategy and execution, as well as cofounding audio processing and music effects pioneer, iZotope. Most recently he was VP for lynda.com, an online education company. He has also held key marketing and product management roles at Bose and Cakewalk, and in addition to his executive career, he currently serves as an adjunct professor of marketing at California State University. He holds an MBA from Boston University and a BSEE from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with graduate studies in acoustics and signal processing at Penn State.
‘It's an honour to represent the legendary brands in the Harman Professional portfolio,’ commented Mr Tarkiainen. ‘Through a combination of digital and traditional marketing, I look forward to extending our reach and introducing our products and services to customers and partners across the globe.’
He will operate from Harman’s Northridge, California facility and will report to Mr Santana, and Mr Augsburger.