Klipsch Group, the maker of speakers and headphones, created a digital speaker division and appointed former SMS Audio executive Steve Jain to run it.
Jain becomes VP/GM of digital, streaming and portable audio solutions. He was formerly sales VP at SMS Audio, the headphone and accessories brand founded by rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.
The appointment follows an announcement last month that Klipsch combined the leadership of its home speaker business and its commercial and cinema businesses with the promotion of Rob Standley as VP/GM of a new division. Also last month, Klipsch Group announced that Oscar Bernardo, with Klipsch since 2006, was named COO. He was previously president of global operations. He continues to lead the company’s operations efforts.
For his part, Jain will lead a division whose focus includes “the technology that will drive Klipsch to become a tech-driven, solutions-based audio company,” the company said. He will focus on the business unit’s channel-management strategy, sales, product development and marketing.
Said Klipsch Group president/CEO Paul Jacobs, “We are aligning Klipsch Group’s strategic vision and resources with the realities and speed of change of the industry to become a thought and technology leader in the audio space.” Jain brings more than 18 years of CE experience to Klipsch “as well as dedication and a fresh approach to secure Klipsch’s rightful place in the market for another 70 years,” Jacobs said.
Klipsch will “grow in new categories and channels and embrace new technologies,” Jain said.
“As technology advances and content is consumed in different formats, companies with technological prowess and audio heritage will emerge as leaders in the new digital, streaming and portable solutions categories,” he added.
Jain has worked his entire career in the CE industry, including stints at Core Brands, Sound United, D&M Holdings, JVC Company America, and Panasonic.
