NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — Reaffirming its determination to provide  design consultants with the highest levels of partnership and care, HARMAN Professional today appointed Denny McLane as business development leader, western U.S. and Saben Shawhan as business development leader, eastern U.S. Operating in these newly created roles, McLane and Shawhan will provide design support on projects and consultant communications. McLane and Shawhan will report to Gregory Jones and Olivier Roure, senior sales managers for U.S. Installation, who made today’s announcement.

“The pace of change in systems integration is especially strong right now, and nowhere is that more evident than at HARMAN, where our engineering and product teams are consistently bringing new innovations to market,” Jones said. “With the appointment of seasoned professionals like Denny and Saben, we’ll ensure that our innovations are not only properly presented to the consulting community, but that their input also influences our innovation. We are very pleased to add Saben and Denny to the HARMAN Professional team, and we are confident they will be excellent ambassadors for our organization.”

Saben Shawhan, CTS joins HARMAN with more than 20 years of consulting and contracting experience. He previously managed the AV design department at Metropolitan Acoustics, and most recently was the senior audio visual systems consultant for Marshall/KMKAcoustics. In both positions, he provided consulting, design and project management services in the fields of sound, video, automationand related technologies. Prior to serving as a consultant, Saben Shawhan was director of engineering at Washington Professional Systems (DVO) and also held senior engineering and project management positions with Maryland Sound & Image and Walt Disney’s World on Ice (Feid Entertainment).

“By strengthening the integration, interoperability and performance standards of audio, video and lighting technology, and providing a single source of access and accountability, HARMAN has helped define the parameters and possibilities of installed AV systems,” said Shawhan. “I am pleased to join HARMAN, and I look forward to working with Greg, Olivier, the entire HARMAN team and, of course, the consultant community.”

Prior to his new role with HARMAN, Denny McLane was as a senior consultant at Jaffe Holden Acoustics. He began his career in sound design and sound engineering, and he also founded and operated a Los Angeles-based sound contracting and concert production company. McLane was regional sales manager for HARMAN’s BSS Audio brand from 2002 to 2009, during which time he was instrumental in launching Soundweb London and cultivating the training program. McLane was also responsible for creating and hosting the first three-day advanced Soundweb training event.

“I am thrilled to take on this new challenge at HARMAN and serve as a conduit between consultants and HARMAN,” McLane said. “Our industry has evolved considerably in recent years. Expectations have been elevated and ambitions have, too. It’s only through deep partnership among all participants that optimal systems can be engineered, and I am here to facilitate that partnership.”