Harman Strengthens Leadership, Marketing, and Customer Support for Microphones and Headphones

Capitalizing on strong growth for JBL Professional in the global retail and live audio markets and seeking to support similar development for its AKG brand, Harman Professional announces an investment in marketing and customer service and the concurrent decision to place professional microphone and headphone operations under the management of Bryan Bradley, GM, loudspeaker strategic business unit. The decision will see the appointment of a general manager reporting to Bradley as well as marketing and sales leads for Harman microphones and headphones in Northridge, California.

Making the announcement, Harman Professional president Blake Augsburger noted the success of the loudspeaker business unit and the opportunity to provide microphone and headphone customers with the same depth of innovation, marketing leadership, and care. "Investing in proven success is the foundation for long-term growth," Augsburger said. "As an organization, we're continually learning from our decisions, we're acting decisively on positive information and we're placing more resources and responsibilities with those leaders who drive success."

Housing design, prototyping, and testing centers for Harman's professional, consumer, and automotive divisions, Harman's Northridge campus is among the global audio industry's most advanced research and development facilities. The combined R&D budget of these divisions has enabled Harman to invest in pure research in transducer and acoustic design that, in turn, has driven product-level innovations at JBL Professional. By co-locating, it is expected that innovation, product marketing, and customer care for microphones and headphones will see similar success.

"The AKG brand has a 67-year legacy of delivering award winning professional headphones and microphones," Bradley said. "We're committed to increase our investment in this brand to grow its awareness and market share across the globe."

"Microphones with loudspeakers is a natural fit," Bradley continued. "I look forward to working with the team in Vienna and our growing team here in Northridge to help customers around the globe experience and appreciate the Harman pedigree, quality, and customer commitment!"