HAUPPAUGE, NY—Jeffrey Geigel has been appointed president of Widex USA, Inc., succeeding Rodney Schutt, who resigned on August 25 to become senior vice-president at Turtle Beach Corporation, a San Diego-based developer of audio products.
Jeff Geigel
Geigel, a hearing industry veteran, took over the helm at Widex USA, a subsidiary of the Danish-based Widex A/S, on August 25. He joins Widex after serving for more than five years both as president and CEO of Helix Hearing Care Centre in Ontario and also CEO of the Lifestyle Hearing Corp. in Hawkesbury, Ontario. Previously he was a vice-president at Sonic Innovations for seven years and senior vice-president of Helix Hearing Care of America for four years.
In announcing Geigel’s hiring on August 31, Mike Dittmann, senior vice-president at Widex A/S, said, “Jeff has extensive experience in various leadership and operational roles, with more than 16 years in the hearing aid industry.” He added, “The fundamentals we have in place today are solid, and we are confident that Jeff, together with the capabilities and talents of a strong, experienced management team, will successfully lead and strengthen our position further in the U.S. market.”
Dittman also praised Rodney Schutt’s “contributions to strengthen Widex’s position in the US hearing aid market” during his 10 months as president.
NEW TECHNOLOGY TO BE LAUNCHED
Rodney Schutt
Schutt has joined Turtle Beach as it prepares to launch the HyperSound® Audio System, which received marketing clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February. The company describes HyperSound as “a fundamentally new approach to sound delivery that uses thin panels to generate an ultrasound beam that carries audio through the air.” It says that a person entering the beam’s radius hears immersive 3D audio, “similar to wearing a surround sound headset.” It adds, “The characteristics of the HyperSound audio beam have been shown to improve the clarity of audio and speech comprehension in individuals with certain types of hearing loss.”
In announcing Schutt’s hiring as general manager of HyperSound, Juergen Stark, CEO of Turtle Beach Corporation, said, “His experience is a perfect fit as we prepare to launch an innovative new product into the hearing health market next year.”
Before becoming president of Widex USA, Schutt was president and CEO of Unitron Hearing for four years. Prior to entering the hearing industry, he held a variety of positions during 18 years with GE Healthcare Solutions and was an executive with Smith & Nephew for three years.
