Accounting & Finance
Santa Monica-based Gumbiner Savett Inc. temporarily relocated Richard Mueller as tax partner, Gina Ruttley as tax manager, Neal Morris and Stephanie Chauff as tax seniors and Dustin Doucet as tax staff. They are CPAs at Ericksen Krentel & LaPorte in New Orleans and their offices sustained significant damage during Hurricane Katrina.
Imperial Capital LLC, a Beverly Hills-based boutique investment bank, hired Nick Capuano as managing director and head of equity research, Aaron Schatzow as vice president of sales and trading and John Calicchio as vice president/senior trader. Capuano was previously portfolio manager of the TCW Small Cap Growth strategy at TCW Investment Management in Los Angeles, Schatzow was vice president at JMP Securities in San Francisco, and Calicchio was senior vice president of institutional trading at Los Angeles-based Seidler Cos.
No Red Tape Mortgage, a Sherman Oaks-based wholesale lender, promoted Delaina Mitchell to first vice president of national production. Mitchell was previously first vice president of East Coast production.
Praesidian Capital Investors LLC, an El Segundo-based provider of mezzanine capital to middle market companies, hired Christopher T. Daniel as managing director. Daniel was previously a director pursuing private debt and equity deals on behalf of a high-net-worth family office in Los Angeles.
Consulting
TeamAutomation, a Simi Valley-based sales and operations consultancy, hired Michael Cerruti as executive account manager. Cerruti was previously a sales account executive for Los Angeles Dodgers LLC in Los Angeles.
Consumer Products
Herbalife Ltd., an L.A.-based supplements company, hired Wynne Roberts as senior vice president of Herbalife Europe. Roberts was previously president and chief operating officer of Los Angeles-based DMX Music International.
Entertainment
Disney Online, a North Hollywood-based division of Walt Disney Internet Group, hired Brad Davis as vice president of the online advertising sales unit. Davis was previously director of sales at Comcast Spotlight in Washington, D.C.
DreamWorks Animation SKG promoted Bill Damaschke to head of creative production and development and hired Kristine Belson as head of development at the Glendale-based company. Damaschke was previously head of creative production and most recently served as producer on “Shark Tale.” Belson was previously executive vice president of production at Jim Henson Co. in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles-based Fox Reality hired Noel Siegel as director of development. Siegel was previously vice president of development and producer at Hallock Healey Entertainment in Hollywood.
Health Care
UHP Healthcare, an Inglewood-based health maintenance organization, promoted Charles Ferrand to interim chief executive. Ferrand previously was chief financial officer.
Insurance
AIG SunAmerica Retirement Markets Inc. hired Tim W. Still as senior vice president and chief operations officer of the Woodland Hills-based company. Still was previously chief operations officer at Travelers Life & Annuity Co. in Hartford, Conn.
Internet
Pasadena-based eHarmony, the Internet dating service, hired Scott Ackerman as vice president of customer care. Ackerman was previously vice president for customer care and call centers for Cendant in Chicago.
Law
Los Angeles-based Kaufman Downing LLP hired Steven J. Reyes as associate attorney. Reyes was previously a voting rights attorney with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Los Angeles.
K & R; Law Group LLP, a Los Angeles-based firm specializing in representing health care organizations and companies, hired Jonathan Wolin as senior counsel. Wolin was previously general counsel and chief compliance officer at United WestLabs in Santa Ana.
Manufacturing
Impco Technologies Inc., a Cerritos-based manufacturer in the power generation and stationary engine sector, promoted Thomas M. Costales to chief financial officer. Costales was previously interim chief financial officer.
Ameron International Corp., a Pasadena-based multinational manufacturer of products and materials for the chemical, industrial, energy, transportation and infrastructure markets, promoted Gary Wagner to executive vice president and chief operating officer and James R. McLaughlin to senior vice president, treasurer and chief financial officer. Wagner was previously chief financial officer and McLaughlin was vice president-controller and treasurer.
Marketing & Public Relations
Creative Domain, a Hollywood-based marketing, advertising and branding agency, hired Mark Rivard as director, interactive entertainment. Rivard was previously an on-air promotion executive at Burbank-based WB TV Network.
Sherman Oaks-based Extraordinary Events hired Ronnie Caplan as creative director and Dana Pitts as producer. Caplan was previously partner and co-founder of Sensix Communications in Toronto, and Pitts was previously senior event specialist at George P. Johnson in Torrance.
Los Angeles-based PhaseOne Communications, an advertising analysis company, hired Robert “Cab” Callaway as vice president of operations, Joel Lowell as senior research manager and Melissa Vogel as senior research analyst. Callaway was previously managing director of the National Center for Unconventional Thought at Potomac Institute of Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., Lowell was owner of Eclectica International in Los Angeles and Vogel was a research analyst and project coordinator at the UCLA.
PondelWilkinson Inc., a Los Angeles-based investor relations and financial communications advisory firm, promoted Wade Huckabee to vice president. Huckabee was previously a senior associate.
Restaurant
SBE Restaurant Group LLC, a Los Angeles-based restaurant acquisition and development company and operating unit of SBE Entertainment Group LLC, hired Daryl Ansel as chief financial officer. Ansel was previously chief financial and administrative officer of Philadelphia-based Starr Restaurant Organization.
Technology
Material Technologies Inc., a Brentwood-based researcher and developer of metal fatigue detection technologies, hired Brent Phares as marketing director. Phares was previously a bridge engineer at the Iowa department of transportation.
