La newsmakers18/inches/mark2nd

THIS LOOKS SHORT

Accounting

Craig Benedetti has joined PricewaterhouseCoopers financial advisory services group as partner and head of the group. Prior to joining, Benedetti was an associate partner with Andersen Consulting.

S. Chell Chelliah has been promoted to managing director of the Los Angeles corporate recovery practice of KPMG LLP. He will be consulting on issues related to bankruptcy and fraud, including litigation support, expert witness testimony and crisis management.

Architecture

Manoucher Eslami has joined La Canada Design Group as project manager. His responsibilities will include project management for the modernization of Pasadena public schools. Previously, Eslami was a project manager at Kennard Design Group.

Blair Seibert has been promoted to director of business development for the L.A. office of Chelsea Design Group. She will be responsible for marketing and management of projects throughout California. Seibert previously owned her own architecture firm in Tulsa, Okla.

Banking & Finance

Philip Acinapuro has joined Dabney Flanigan LLC as a senior vice president. He will specialize in distressed securities and emerging market-debt investment analysis. Prior to joining the firm, Acinapuro was a senior distressed/high yield analyst with MJ Whitman Inc.

Robert Dawson has been promoted to senior vice president at Union Bank of California. He is manager of syndication and placements and is based in Los Angeles. Dawson has been with the bank since 1985, most recently as vice president.

Richard Wolpert has been named partner in Yucaipa Cos. He will oversee Internet and technology ventures, including an electronic commerce destination due this year. Prior to joining the firm, Wolpert served as president of Disney Online.

Entertainment

Siobhan Cummins has been promoted to director of development at Tribune Entertainment Co. She will be responsible for overseeing the development and production of scripted programming, including “Malibu, CA,” and “NightMan.” Cummins previously worked with Film Roman as assistant to the executive producer.

Keith Snelgrove has joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. as senior vice president of worldwide promotions and corporate sponsorships. He will be responsible for developing creative corporate marketing and promotional partnerships related to all MGM operations, including film, television, home entertainment, consumer products, music and interactive.

Health Care

Robert Slay has been appointed medical director of the emergency department at Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital. Previously, Slay served as chief of medicine at the Healthsouth Medical Center in Richmond, Va.

Dawn Wood has been promoted to vice president and medical director of the Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs for Blue Cross of California. She will oversee quality of care, utilization review and grievance management. In addition, Wood is an assistant professor of medicine at UCLA.

High Tech

Mary Chin has been appointed vice president and general manager of the enterprise computing division at Merisel Inc. Most recently, Chin served as vice president of marketing operations at Unisys Corp.

Law

The L.A. office of Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp LLP has promoted five attorneys to partner. David Katz represents domestic and Pacific Rim clients in areas including financing, asset securitization and securities. Richard Sheldon has concentrated his practice on litigation involving entertainment, securities, trademark and trade secrets law. Yakub Hazzard specializes in litigation arising in the entertainment industry and also handles litigation and transactions for several professional athletes. Adam Levin represents management in a wide variety of labor relations and employment matters. Yvette Molinaro has a business litigation practice and has expertise in complex probate litigation and white-collar criminal defense.

Patrick Broadway has been promoted to partner in the L.A. office of Lewis, D’Amato, Brisbois & Bisgaard LLP. The emphasis of his practice is personal injury and medical malpractice. Broadway has been with the firm since 1990.

William Ellis has joined Sidley & Austin as a partner in the firm’s real estate group. His practice involves foreign investments in U.S. property and projects. Previously, Ellis was a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.

Bruce Sherman was named managing partner of the L.A. office of Perkins Coie LLP. His practice emphasizes the negotiation and documentation of a variety of transactions. Sherman has been with the firm since 1989.

Joseph Taylor has joined Liner Yankelevitz Sunshine Weinhart & Regenstreif LLP as partner. He will continue to represent writers, directors, producers, actors, recording artists and production and distribution companies in court and in talent guild and other arbitration tribunals. Previously, Taylor was with Stein & Kahan.

Media

Anita Busch has joined The Hollywood Reporter as editor. As a freelancer, Busch has written for The New York Times, Vanity Fair and Time. She previously worked as a columnist for Entertainment Weekly and as film editor of Variety.

Public Relations

Frankie Estrada has been named account director at Valencia, Perez & Echeveste. She will be responsible for establishing a new entertainment division for the agency focusing on the Hispanic market. Previously, Estrada owned her own consulting agency.

Real Estate

Thomas Bohlinger has joined CB Richard Ellis as senior vice president for the Investment Properties-Institutional Group. He will be based in the L.A. office and will specialize in major capital markets assignments. Previously, Bohlinger has held senior-level positions at Jones Lang Wooten and W. Ross Campbell Co.

Naoki Oshima has been named senior vice president for the commercial sales division at Kennedy-Wilson Inc. He will be responsible for generating a variety of assignments with Japanese and U.S. clients. Oshima previously served as vice president of the L.A. division of the Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan.

Rob Paratte has been appointed senior vice president in charge of leasing for Wilson-Cornerstone, the Western operating division of Cornerstone Properties. His responsibilities include the leasing and marketing of more than 80 office properties totaling about 14 million square feet throughout the West. Paratte was formerly a senior vice president in charge of new business development. Also, Stephen Pilch has been appointed senior vice president in charge of investment management. He will oversee property management and leasing for Wilson-Cornerstone. Previously, Pilch was a managing director with Aetna Life Insurance Co.