MUMBAI: Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA) today announced three promotions. Athan Billias is the director of strategic product planning, a new corporate-wide position. Dave Jewell is the marketing communications manager in the Customer Sales & Marketing Group, also a new company-wide position. Nate Tschetter is named marketing manager, Music Production, Pro Audio & Combo Division.

"With the creation of two new roles and the addition of Nate to our Music Production department, we are able to take better advantage of each employee's abilities to better serve our dealers and customers," said Tom Sumner, senior vice president, Yamaha Corporation of America. "These changes will enhance our ability to keep developing innovative products and market them effectively."

Billias, most recently director of marketing, Pro Audio & Combo Division, joined Yamaha in 1998 and has held a number of positions, including marketing manager for Electronic Drums, marketing manager for Live Sound and marketing manager for Music Production. He also served as manager of content/research and development and manager of the field product support group. From 1996 to the present, he has served on the Executive Board of the MIDI Manufacturers Association. He earned a BA in Jazz Composition at Wesleyan University.

In his new role, Billias will serve as a liaison between the market needs of YCA and product development at Yamaha Corporation, Japan, creating a new dialogue process for YCA with dealers, artists and customers. He will also investigate new business product areas in which Yamaha is not currently involved and manage relationships with third-party developers in the United States.

Jewell spent 16 years as product manager and marketing manager for Yamaha Drums, overseeing the development of many successful acoustic and electronic drum product launches. He also served on the Executive Board of the Percussion Marketing Council and has raised more than $50,000 in donations to help fund Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes research at the Children's Hospital of Orange County. Prior to joining Yamaha, Jewell worked at Milano Music in Mesa, Arizona. He earned a BA in Marketing and Management at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and an MA in Percussion Performance at Louisiana Tech University.

In his new position, Jewell will work closely with marketing managers from all divisions, including the Customer Experience Group, to develop comprehensive corporate and consumer marketing initiatives that help acquire new customers, manage partner alliances and enhance the overall brand experience.