Advertising
Nancy McLachlan has been named vice president at Los Angeles-based Western International Media. McLachlan will serve as associate broadcast director. She formerly was vice president and broadcast supervisor at Carat/ICG.
Entertainment
Dede Gardner has been promoted to vice president of production in the motion picture group at Hollywood-based Paramount Pictures. Gardner will identify, procure and develop properties for feature film production. She previously was director of creative affairs.
Scott Blum has been named director of strategic planning and business development at Universal City-based Universal Music Group. Blum will lead the development of the company’s strategic business plan, and will be involved in deal analysis and operational improvement projects. He formerly was vice president of business and legal affairs at Motion Picture Corp. of America.
Vahe Simonian has been named senior vice president of development at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Simonian will be responsible for all aspects of development and fund raising. He previously was senior vice president of development at the California Science Center.
Robert Rene has been named executive vice president of marketing at Los Angeles-based United Paramount Network. Rene will oversee the network marketing, affiliate marketing and media relations departments. He previously was chief marketing officer and senior vice president of marketing, strategy and business development at Americast.
Cindy Sison has been named head of international sales and distribution for Santa Monica-based Santa Monica Pictures. She will oversee sales for the company’s films at the American Film Market and other markets throughout the year. Before joining SMP, she co-owned Sisman Communications, a film sales consulting firm.
Finance
Robert M. Whetstone has been promoted to senior vice president from vice president at Los Angeles-based corporate and investor relations firm Pondel, Parsons & Wilkinson. Whetstone will oversee the firm’s health care practice. Also, Thomas W. Kennedy has been promoted to vice president of finance and administration. Kennedy will oversee financial matters for the company. He previously served as director of finance and administration.
Daryl Ann Weber has been named senior vice president of business development and client services at Los Angeles-based Reed, Conner & Birdwell Inc. Weber will oversee client relations and develop business for the company. She previously was senior vice president at First Pacific Advisors Inc.
Richard C. Pearson has been named president of Los Angeles-based Security First Group. In addition to overseeing the company’s operations, he will continue to serve as its general counsel. He was previously general counsel and senior vice president of legal operations.
Health Care
Vincent G. Mace has been named vice president at Woodland Hills-based WellPoint Health Networks Inc. Mace will serve as vice president and actuary, and will be responsible for valuation and trend analysis for Unicare, a unit of the company. He previously was senior vice president and group actuary at Chubb Life.
Michael Linn has been promoted to president of UniMed Management Co., which is the physician practice management subsidiary of Burbank-based UniHealth. Linn will oversee the operations of UniMed. He previously was chief operating officer.
High Tech
Timothy R. Busch has been named chairman at Rancho Dominguez-based Advanced Materials Group Inc. Busch has served on the board since last year.
Michael L. Margolis has joined Calabasas-based Tekelec Inc. as its new president and chief executive. He will replace former CEO Allan Toomer, who is retiring. Margolis was formerly executive vice president of group accounts with the Ericsson Group.
Law
Mark A. Conley has joined the Los Angeles law firm of Katten Muchin & Zavis as partner. Conley will concentrate his practice in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities, and general corporate advice. He previously served with the firm of McDermott, Will & Emery.
Media
Blaine B. Rominger has been named general sales manager at Los Angeles-based KMEX-TV Channel 34. Rominger will oversee all aspects of the station’s sales effort. He formerly was sales manager at KTLA-TV Channel 5.
John Evans has been named president and chief executive at Los Angeles-based Detour magazine. Evans will fine-tune editorial and design. He previously was president of Canterbury Consulting.
Public Relations/Marketing
Theresa Wojcik has been promoted to vice president at Los Angeles-based Spelling Communications. Wojcik will coordinate the activities of all other account management personnel. She previously was director of client services.
Ticketing
Timothy J. Wood has been appointed executive vice president of the Western region and director of European development at Ticketmaster Corp. He will oversee Ticketmaster’s nine-state Western region, in addition to playing a leading role in expanding the company’s presence in Europe. He was formerly executive vice president in charge of Ticketmaster’s Southeast and Southwest regions. In addition, Claire L. Rothman was appointed executive vice president. She will be responsible for developing and expanding the company’s national profile in the entertainment and business communities. She was formerly senior vice president of community affairs.
Tourism
Jeff Wolff has been named director of operations for the hotel division of Beverly hills-based Hilton Hotels Corp. Wolff will be responsible for directing the training process of general managers and management partners. He previously was general manager of theValencia Hilton Gardenn Inn.
