Gemstar-TV Guide Reorganizes its Consumer Electronics Licensing Group

EPG developer, Gemstar-TV Guide, has reorganized its Consumer Electronics Licensing Group and hired or promoted a number of senior managers, in order, it says, to centralize the group's global sales, management and marketing strategy: Lydie Levy, who was previously managing director for Gemstar TV-Guide Europe, has been promoted to COO worldwide for the Consumer Electronics Licensing Group; Thomas Carson has been named president of TV Guide On Screen, the company's CE operation in North America; and Akitaka Nishimura has been named president of Gemstar Multimedia Limited, a division that provides EPG's and VCR scheduling technology for CE and mobile devices in the Japanese market. The three executives will report to Mike McKee, the company's COO, who also serves as president of interactive program guides. In addition, the company has promoted Simon Adams, who was previously deputy managing director of its European CE business, to SVP of marketing and sales of CE worldwide. He will report to Lydie Levy, as will Erwin Lau, general manager of Gemstar Technology Development Limited in Hong Kong, and Jean Francois Grasset, SVP of technical and operations.

Levy was responsible, among other things, for the launch of Gemstar's Guide Plus+ EPG in Europe, and for managing the company's relocation from London to Luxembourg. Prior to joining the company, she served in various senior marketing roles at Thomson Electronics and at CE retailer, Darty. Carson joins Gemstar from Thomson, where he most recently served as EVP of the company's Program Office; in the latter role, he was responsible for directing operational programs to improve efficiency in manufacturing, the supply chain, and product development. Nishimura joins the company from Panasonic, where he served as general manager of the company's Digital AV Networking Promotion Group. He succeeds Yuichi Okumura, who is retiring, and will work with him during a brief transition period. Adams has been second-in-command of Gemstar's European CE EPG business since 2003; he also served as director of consumer electronics for the company's European division from 1995 to 1999. In his newly create role, he will serve as Gemstar's key liaison for CE companies worldwide, and will be tasked with developing and coordinating sales and marketing strategies across the Consumer Electronics division's regional offices in the US, Europe and Asia. He will also have a strategic development role in structuring the division's research and development roadmap.

and the

http://blog.itvt.com/my_weblog/2006/01/_announcing_the.html

Click http://www.itvt.com to subscribe to our free email newsletter, which contains all the news stories you see on this Web site, and additional breaking news and scoops, in-depth features, interviews, screenshots, videos, and other exclusive content you will not find anywhere else.