Newsmakers/hollingsworth/1stLK/mark2nd
Banking
Julia Gouw has been appointed executive vice president of East West Bank at the company’s San Marino headquarters. She previously was senior vice president and chief financial officer. Gouw will continue to serve as CFO and as a board member.
Kerry J. Turner has been appointed senior vice president and commercial loan officer of Imperial Bank at the San Fernando Valley regional office. Prior to joining Imperial Bank, Turner served as vice president and relationship manager at Union Bank of California in Los Angeles.
Christopher J. Warmuth has been named chief credit officer and head of quality management at Sanwa Bank California. Warmuth will oversee all credit administration activities, portfolio management and credit policy. He previously was senior vice president and head of the bank’s special assets division.
Construction
Noble F. Hundley has been named vice president and regional manager of the L.A. office of Vanir Construction Management, a Sacramento-based project and construction management firm. He previously served as vice president and area manager at the company’s Bellevue, Wash. office.
Takayuki Fujisawa has been named president of OC America Construction Inc., a subsidiary of the Obayashi Corp., a general contractor headquartered in Tokyo. Fujisawa, who will be based at the L.A. office, formerly was project director for the Sumitomo SITIX Semiconductor manufacturing facility in Phoenix. In addition, Ralph W. Man has been promoted to senior vice president. Man will be responsible for OC America Construction’s operations in all Western states. He has been with the company since 1989. Loes A. Cimino has been named vice president of marketing and will be responsible for sales and marketing in the Western United States.
Entertainment
Lisa Sirlin has been appointed director of online strategic planning at Santa Monica-based DigitalFacades. Sirlin will develop Internet/Intranet and information technology strategies for new and existing DigitalFacades clients. She previously was director of online entertainment for Fox Kids Networks Worldwide.
Kimberly Brightman has been named vice president of finance with Universal Concerts, a division of Universal City-based Universal Studios Inc. She is responsible for financial planning, systems, business deal analysis and operations for the division. She was previously vice president of finance with Twentieth Century Fox Television.
Health Care
Augustavia J. Haydel has joined L.A. Care Health Plan as general counsel and executive director of legal services. Haydel will oversee all aspects of legal services. She previously served as counsel to Watts Health Systems Inc.
Raulee Marcus has been named president and chief executive of the operating and international divisions at Obagi Medical Products. The company, headquartered in Long Beach, promotes dermatological products and procedures. Marcus formerly was with Neutrogena.
Law
David Helfant has joined Troop, Meisinger, Steuber & Pasich LLP as an of counsel member of the firm’s entertainment department. Helfant will be counseling and representing record companies, recording artists and music producers and production entities in both transactional and dispute resolution matters. He previously was with Berger, Kahn, Shafton, Moss, Figler, Simon & Gladstone.
John J. Moohr has been appointed executive director of Alschuler, Grossman & Pines LLP. The firm concentrates on business litigation and business transactions. Moohr previously was administrative director for the L.A. and Orange county offices of Katten, Muchin & Zavis.
Ted S. Ward has joined Irell & Manella LLP in an of counsel position. He will be based at the firm’s Century City office and will concentrate on general business litigation. He previously was with White & Case.
Michael T. Williams has joined the L.A. office of the international law firm Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe as a shareholder. Williams is a trial lawyer and litigator with experience in antitrust, financial institutions, intellectual property and business litigation. He previously was managing partner of the Los Angeles office of Andrews & Kurth LLP.
Gary York has joined the Los Angeles office of LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae LLP as of counsel, specializing in real estate transactions. He previously was chair of the real estate group at Buchalter, Nemer, Fields & Younger.
Real Estate
Ross A. Crowe has joined Grubb & Ellis Management Services Inc. as vice president and director of operations for the Los Angeles region. Crowe specializes in executive-level real estate management and development. He formerly was assistant vice president for CB Commercial Real Estate Group Inc.
Dwight Merriman has been promoted to senior vice president and market officer for the Southern California and Salt Lake City offices of CarrAmerica Realty Corp. He will be responsible for identification of new investment opportunities, the operating office portfolio, office development and overseeing customer relationships in Southern California.
Richard Putnam has been promoted to senior vice president and has been named a principal in Trammell Crow Co. Putnam will direct investment sales and acquisitions for the company in Southern California. He previously was a real estate executive with the company.
James G. Shaw has been named managing director of Cohen Financial, a Chicago-based real estate investment bank that has opened an office in Los Angeles. Shaw is co-founder of the Potentia Group in Los Angeles. Also, Christopher Cooney has been named director of Cohen Financial. He formerly was partner-in-charge of the Los Angeles office of Jones Lang Wootton, a partner in the Potentia Group.
Richard L. Thomas has been appointed vice president of residential lending at Platinum Capital Group at the firm’s Manhattan Beach office. He formerly was president and CEO of Western Region Mortgage Corp.
Robert Zerbst has been named chairman of Westmark Realty Advisors, the investment management arm of CB Commercial Real Estate Group Inc. He formerly was managing partner of IPC Partners, a joint venture with Institutional Property Consultants.
