Maestra London Announces Five Key New Appointments

	Standing, l-r: Adam Jones, Justin Hammond, Emma Perrin. Seated, l-r: Aisha Tarayan, Jenny Woollard and Jack Jury

London- and Dubai-based Maestra Group, specialist in premium event production, design and solutions, announces five key staff appointments at the London office, which was launched in January and is headed by Justin Hammond.

This follows a strong start to business by the new UK operation and a major new investment in audio and video technology, the company says.

"Equally important to investing in the right kit," says Hammond, "Is getting the right people on-board with the attitude and aspirations needed to run a busy, lively, and creative environment dedicated to pushing the envelope in all aspects of live event production."

General manager Emma Perrin and Hammond are already successful business partners, running dry / cross rental company Wireless Lighting, which specializes in the provision of robust, eco-efficient cable-fee technology for the event market, an enterprise that continues to thrive alongside their work at Maestra, the company says.

Perrin was keen to work with Hammond at Maestra London. "He has a unique and highly motivating management style," says.

Her role at Maestra London includes overseeing the busy day-to-day operations of the office and warehouse facility at Royal Arsenal in east London, supporting staff and clients, co-ordinating marketing, and promotion and ensuring the company is running harmoniously and efficiently.

"I'm looking forward to growing Maestra both in the UK and internationally," she says.

Technical manager Adam Jones' background as a festival and event organizer attracted him to Maestra where his role will include assessing new and emerging technologies and innovative products which could be added to master's equipment inventory.

He will be liaising day-to-day with the project management and design teams to ensure the best practices and highest standards are maintained for Maestra and its diverse client base, and will also be dealing with freelancers and cross-hire suppliers.

On site he will manage technical elements including get-ins and outs, and his computer skills are already proving handy for accurate documentation, sharing, and archiving of data and information which will build into an invaluable reference resource.

"I like Justin's vision for the future," he says. "And the fact that we are a properly international company where building the brand identity will open new opportunities across all of Europe, the Middle East, and beyond".

Production designer Jenny Woollard trained as an architect and has always been fascinated by creating spaces and using her understanding and knowledge of built environments and human psychology to create amazing temporary situations, experiential moments, and social entities.

Before joining Maestra London, Woollard worked with another well-known London based event production company.

At Maestra London, the scope of her work will include pre-production design and development and producing CAD plans and detailed 3-D designs and drawings, together with the associated mood boards and visuals.

She will also be involved in all aspects of creating sets and environments including sourcing materials, hire items and props, managing budgets, overseeing installations, and co-ordinating on site resources, logistics, scheduling, and crew management.

Woollard brings great imaginative flair to a technology focused company, which will help the Maestra Group create unique events with unprecedented attention to detail, the company says.

Woollard loves the vibrancy and diversity of London and often draws on its dynamics as a bustling multi-cultural metropolis to trigger and stimulate ideas.

Project manager Jack Jury's industry career started in theatre working on large scale West End blockbusters, before moving into the events industry, where all the drama, glitz, glamor, and emotion can be applied in different contexts.

As a project manager, his role at Maestra is to manage all aspects of the event and unite the different departments and people involved to deliver to the best possible standards -- whatever the size, budget and location of the job.

His upcoming NEBOSH qualification will assist in the management of Maestra's Health & Safety infrastructure, an area where the company intends to become a market leader.

Jury wanted to work with Maestra for many reasons including the challenges of starting a company from scratch and setting the bar high. He's looking forward to building and maintaining relationships with colleagues and clients, and to producing exciting and innovative events.

Project manager Aisha Tarayan worked at another top production company for 5 years before joining Maestra, starting there as a junior and working her way up to being a senior project manager, co-ordinating events and their entire team of PMs.

She specialized in staging events in exclusive, idiosyncratic, and site-specific venues around London -- museums, palaces, and galleries -- and has also worked as a freelance PM before bringing all this experience to Maestra.

Tarayan will be manging clients and projects from start to finish. She sees Maestra as a great opportunity to work with a new forward-thinking, go-ahead company right from inception.

Hammond says, "We have a great team in place with lots of talent, energy, enthusiasm ... and the right attitude to produce and deliver challenging projects to new standards of excellence. We are very much looking forward to a busy and successful year ahead!"