New GM for Harman China as David McKinney takes on mixer business
Published: ASIA
WORLD: Harman Professional has announced the promotion of David McKinney to vice president and general manager of its mixer division, an appointment that sees Mr McKinney take charge of global operations for both Studer and Soundcraft. It also marks his departure from Asia, following long and successful stints in charge of the company’s operations first in India and then in China. Taking his place as senior director and general manager of China Operations is Frank Xiao, a 15-year industry veteran.
Having worked for Harman Pro for 11 years in four different countries, Mr McKinney will now be based in Potters Bar in the UK, reporting directly to Harman Pro president Blake Augsburger. ‘Soundcraft and Studer are both innovation leaders in audio mixing technology and we are committed to backing up our world-class products with dedicated, steadfast customer support and engineering excellence,’ he declared. ‘We have some very exciting products to launch this month and plans for many more in the near future. Our success has been built on close customer relationships, engineering quality and innovative new products; these are the key pillars we will continue to focus on for the future as we grow these two great businesses.’
Frank Xiao, meanwhile, is a newcomer to the Harman Pro fold, having previously spent 13 years with Christie Digital Systems, becoming general manager of Christie China in 2007. During his tenure of GM of the company, he presided over a reported 600 per cent increase in overall sales performance.
‘Harman Professional has a strong presence in China and I am looking forward to growing this presence through our delivery of integrated, specialised systems for a variety of the vertical markets that we serve,’ commented Mr Xiao. ‘The Chinese market represents a unique set of opportunities and challenges, and we are strongly positioned to capitalise on these opportunities while meeting the challenges of the market.’