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Newsmakers

Accounting & Consulting

Philip J. Garcia was appointed director of the business valuations practice at BDO Seidman in Los Angeles. He will oversee delivery of strategic planning and analyze capital restructuring and investments for clients in Southern California. Garcia was most recently a member of the corporate finance and valuation advisory practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Airports

Lydia Kennard was promoted to executive director of Los Angeles World Airports. She will be responsible for strategic direction and operations for Los Angeles International Airport, Ontario International Airport, Van Nuys Airport and Palmdale Regional Airport. Kennard was most recently interim executive director for the organization. Also, Selena Birk was appointed acting airport manager of Van Nuys Airport. She will oversee operations, administration, and noise reduction programs. Birk was previously chief management analyst and leader of the Airfield Permits Bureau at LAX.

Architecture

Raymond W. Holdsworth was appointed president of AECOM Technology Corp., a Los Angeles-based consortium of global architectural and engineering firms. He will be responsible for the overall operations of all AECOM companies. Holdsworth was most recently president and chief executive officer of DMJM.

Suzanne Kuric was appointed design director for Cole Martinez Curtis and Associates in Marina del Rey. She will be responsible for new business development. Kuric was previously director of interior design for Ware & Malcomb Architects Inc. in Woodland Hills.

Automotive

Debra Sanchez Fair was promoted to vice president of corporate communications at Nissan North America in Carson. She will oversee all corporate communications for the North American regional offices. Sanchez Fair was previously director of corporate communications.

Banking & Finance

James Verbic was appointed executive vice president at Web Capital Group, a venture banking firm in Marina del Rey. He will oversee development of the firm's business strategy and Internet business incubation. Vebic was previously a vice president at Merrill Lynch & Co.

Entertainment

Yair Landau was promoted to president of the new digital entertainment division at Sony Pictures Entertainment in Culver City. He will be responsible for overseeing digital production and computer-generated imaging, producing new online content, games and interactive programming, and developing video-on-demand and interactive television. Landau was previously executive vice president of corporate development and strategic planning.

Mike Mena was appointed vice president of artist development at Musicblitz, a Los Angeles music company that provides funding and resources for artists to record singles for online distribution. He will be responsible for signing, developing and promoting the roster of artists. Mena was previously a senior executive with EMI/SBK Records.

Vince Roberts was promoted to senior vice president of operations and technology for the broadcast engineering division of Disney/ABC Cable Networks in Burbank. He will be responsible for overseeing engineering, broadcast operations, information services and technology development for the firm's cable channels. Roberts was previously vice president of engineering and operations for Disney Channel.

Brian Rogers was promoted to vice president of finance and administration at Universal Creative, the design and creative division of Universal Studios Recreation Group. He will be responsible for financial control, administrative policies, and reporting, estimating and scheduling functions. Rogers was previously senior director of finance.

High Tech

Richard Moskowitz was named chief executive at Perceptronics, a computer-based simulation systems and software company in Woodland Hills. He will be responsible for developing revenue-generating projects and forming strategic alliances. Moskowitz was previously an independent marketing specialist and investor.

Insurance

Bruce W. Marlow was named president and chief executive at 21st Century Insurance in Woodland Hills. He will be responsible for overall strategy and regional expansion. Marlow was previously president of independent agency markets and senior vice president of Allstate Corp.

Law

G. Christian Roux was named managing partner at Weston, Benshoof, Rochefort, Rubalcava & MacCuish in Los Angeles. He will be responsible for managing the firm while continuing his construction practice. Roux was previously a member of the management committee.

Joel D. Siegel was named shareholder in the franchise and distribution practice at Jenkens & Gilchrist in Los Angeles. He is a trial attorney specializing in trademark, competition, antitrust, advertising and other types of cases. Siegel was previously with Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison.

Michael St. Denis and Jeffrey Parker were named partners at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton in Los Angeles. Both are trial lawyers specializing in complex litigation. St. Denis' practice includes high-profile white-collar crime while Parker concentrates on environmental litigation. Both were previously associates with the firm.

David Stern was named partner at Klee Tuchin Bogdanoff & Stern in Los Angeles. He specializes in business litigation, including bankruptcy and insolvency cases. Stern was previously a founder and shareholder at Stern, Neubauer, Greenwald & Pauly in Santa Monica.

Konrad L. Trope was named partner in the entertainment division of Rosenfeld, Meyer & Susman in Los Angeles. He specializes in representing the independent film community. Trope was previously with Finley, Kumble, Foley & Lardner in Los Angeles.

New Media

Mike Beck was appointed chief financial officer at iwin.com in Los Angeles. He will be responsible for all financial matters, including the operations budget, accounting and capital growth opportunities. Beck was formerly managing director at NM Rothschild & Sons in Washington, D.C. Also, Derrick Morton was named vice president and executive producer. He will oversee creative development and content for the production team. Morton was most recently senior producer for CBO Interactive in Hollywood.

Michael Cremean was named chief technology officer at Soundbreak.com in West Hollywood. He will be responsible for all technology, the creation of proprietary software, and supervision of programmers and audio engineers. Cremean was previously head of technology at University Access in Los Angeles.

David Kronemyer was appointed senior vice president of business affairs at Enigma Digital, a network of Internet radio stations based in Santa Monica. He will oversee the growth of infrastructure and business development activities. Kronemyer was previously senior vice president of business affairs at Atlantic Records.

Douglas Scales was appointed vice president of marketing at SportsPrize Entertainment, a sports-oriented entertainment and e-commerce company in Los Angeles. He will be responsible for managing online and offline marketing strategy and building the SportsPrize brand. Scales was most recently a marketing manager with Disney Online.

Real Estate

Ken Fanelli and Dan Zornizer were promoted to vice presidents and directors of project management services at Cushman Realty Corp. in Los Angeles. They will be responsible for managing the design, engineering and construction phases for corporate office projects in downtown and West Los Angeles, respectively. Both were previously project managers with the firm.

Bradford W. Howe was named senior vice president and chief financial officer of Lowe Hospitality Group, the Los Angeles-based hotel and resort division of Lowe Enterprises. He will oversee capital raising and financing activities. Howe was previously director of finance and capital markets for Equity International Properties.

Brad Sevier was named senior director for the Manhattan Beach office of Buchanan Street Partners, a realty capital advisory and investment management firm. He will be responsible for originating and underwriting real estate loans. Sevier was previously director of Finova Realty Capital in Irvine.

Shirley Spinelli was promoted to managing director of PMLA, a real estate project management firm in Los Angeles. She will be responsible for business development and internal administration. Spinelli was previously a project manager with the firm.

Ferguson Trying to Boost Sagging Sales at Apparel Firm

SHARON Ferguson has her work cut out for her at Chorus Line Corp.

Ferguson has been named to the newly created post of president of sales and marketing at the Vernon-based women's clothing manufacturer -- one of the largest apparel makers in Southern California.

In that role, she must come up with a centralized sales strategy for all six design lines, which saw zero growth last year.

Chorus Line makes moderately priced dresses and knit tops that retail at department stores like Macy's, Robinsons-May and Sears. Sixty percent of sales come from the All That Jazz label for juniors, with other lines focusing on misses, sportswear and clothing for children.

Ferguson is aggressively targeting teen-agers, the company's largest customer group, with a print ad campaign in Teen and Seventeen magazines. She also is planning a Web site showcasing the junior line.

"Twelve to 15-year-olds are the fasting-growing Internet viewer group, and we want them to go and see what's coming out next," said Ferguson.

The company currently unveils a new line of clothing 10 times a year at its New York showroom. To kick-start the design cycle, Ferguson has started interdepartmental planning meetings involving the sales, design and production teams.

She also plans to produce fewer designs and monitor trends to keep the remaining lines "fashion-forward." Meanwhile, newly implemented weekly sales updates from retailers could help Ferguson with production by letting her know which lines, sizes and colors are selling well.

"Better communication at the outset will make our deliveries more timely, increase our profits, and improve the physical quality of the garments," she said.

Ferguson was most recently president of Chorus Line's junior dress and junior formalwear divisions. She previously served as West Coast manager of junior sportswear at Esprit.

Jennifer Smith