Arlington, Va. — The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) launched a new international department and announced the promotions of five senior level managers.
Leading the promotions were Karen Chupka, conferences and events VP, and Todd Thibodeaux, industry relations VP, who were both elevated to senior VP status, covering the same departments.
Meanwhile, the newly created international department will “coordinate efforts to expand and deepen relationships with associations and other entities abroad and seek potential partnerships with new international trade shows,” according to a CEA announcement.
The department also will formulate and coordinate the association’s international trade strategies and oversee CEA’s operations in China, which includes CEA’s partnership with the China Electronic Chamber of Commerce to produce the China International Consumer Electronics Show (SINOCES).
This year’s SINOCES runs July 7-10 in Qingdao, China.
Elizabeth Hyman, tax/trade counsel senior director, has been named international VP to direct the new department.
“This new department reflects the increasing importance of CEA’s global strategy as we grow and change to address the numerous growth opportunities and challenges facing the consumer electronics industry in the international market,” said Gary Shapiro, CEA president and CEO. “Indeed, I anticipate our international department will grow in the near future as opportunities and issues continue to arise around the world.”
Shapiro credited Hyman with working with U.S. and international policy makers to establish a greater strategic footprint for the industry in global issues such as: market access through bilateral, regional and multilateral trade agreements; trade facilitation matters; and United States-China relations.
In prior roles, Hyman served in the office of the Massachusetts attorney general and in the U.S. Department of Justice where she was special assistant to the attorney general, among other positions. While rose to a position of assistant counsel at the office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Chupka, who is a 17-year EIA/CEA veteran, continues to oversee the sales, marketing, production and management of CEA’s events and conferences including International CES.
Thibodeaux, who is a 15-year EIA/CEA veteran, will continue to oversee market research, member relations, strategic relations and business analysis and CEA’s technology and standards department.
The CEA member relations group is the primary interface between the association and its 2,100 corporate members. Staff works with the product divisions and special interest groups to manage and initiate programs.
Shapiro credited Thibodeaux with adding retailers and installers to CEA’s membership mix. At the same time, CEA’s technology and standards group is reaching out to support the activities of emerging technologies such as IPTV and IPv6.
In other senior-level promotions, CEA announced that Cindy Hoag was named CES projects senior director and Lisa McKellar was named conferences director.
Hoag began working with CEA in 1997, and most recently has managed special exhibit areas at CES, worked with CES partner events and programs and assisted with the implementation of new special interest areas for the show.
McKellar joined CEA in April 2000 and most recently served as CEA conferences senior manager. As director, she is responsible for programming and logistical arrangements for CEA stand-alone events including the Entertainment Technology Policy Summit and Digital Patriots Dinner, the Consumer Electronics CEO Summit, CEA’s Industry Forum and the annual pre-CES press conference and event held in New York.
