4/4/2022 -  Sequel Wire & Cable has named Todd Eagan as sales manager. He most recently had worked for two years for Lake Copper Conductors, and prior to that held key sales and manager roles at SDI LaFarga, Manner Plastics and PVC Compounders. He was lauded for the scope of his industry experience gained over his 30-plus year career, that saw him master the interrelation of purchasing, manufacturing and selling the raw materials necessary to make insulated wire. Based in Argos, Indiana, Sequel Wire & Cable manufacturers copper-fabricated and insulated wire and cable products for use in a variety of markets. 

Mark Gatewood has joined Service Wire as director - business development, a new position. He has 15 years of various business development and operational leadership experience. He holds an MBA from Marshall University and a degree in marketing from West Virginia University. Kerith Richards was named a regional sales manager, responsible for commercial and industrial sales in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York. She will continue to serve in that role for Canadian provinces. She has more than 10 years of experience, including seven years at Service Wire. Emily Wotring has been promoted to inside sales representative. She will serve the Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island markets, as well as customers in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. She joined the company a year ago as a customer service representative. Based in Culloden, West Virginia, Service Wire is a second-generation, family-owned wire and cable manufacturer.

Metalube Ltd. has appointed Steve Hart as finance director, with duties that will also include commercial management responsibilities at the company’s Irlam manufacturing site. He has 14 years of experience in financial control, financial and management reporting along with providing commercial support. Based in Manchester, U.K., Metalube is part of the Bishopdale Group, a private holding company for a group of industrial lubricants brands (Metalube, Molyslip and UOP) that exports 95% of its lubrication production to more than 90 countries.

Daniel Choi has been named CEO of Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire as well as CEO of parent company Superior Essex Inc. and its subsidiaries. He has decades of experience, having been associated with LS Cable and System, the parent company of Superior Essex Inc., since 1999, when he was general manager. He most recently served as regional president, North and South Americas, for LS Cable and System, and prior to that was president, LS Cable and System USA for MV and LV Power Cable Systems. He has long been associated with Superior Essex, including serving as president, Cyprus Investments from 2008–2014, and as the SVP, PMO Europe and China in 2015. He holds a PhD in Material Science Engineering from Seoul National University and MBA from Helsinki Business School. He replaces Brian Kim, who led the Superior Essex and recent Essex Furukawa teams for nearly seven years. His legacy includes launching the strategic Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire joint venture. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire LLC is a global provider of magnet wire.

Don Neville has been named chairman of the International Wire and Machinery Association (IWMA). He is the managing director of RichardsApex Europe Ltd., the U.K. subsidiary of RichardsApex Inc., in the USA. The U.S. native has been in the wire and cable industry since 1990. He succeeds Martin van der Zwan, who has extended his term due to the pandemic. Based in the U.K., IWMA is the world’s largest and most influential corporate association for the wire and cable industries.

4/3/2022 - Egypt and Greece have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to partner further growth of their cable infrastructure.

Per multiple media reports, Telecom Egypt, Egypt’s first integrated telecom operator and one of the leading subsea cables operators in the region, and GRID Telecom, subsidiary of the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) in Greece, will seek future directions.

The MoU does not spell out a finalized submarine cable system plan, although Egypt plans to spend $60 million to put a fiber-optic cable under the Mediterranean Sea to Greece for data transmission. Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat said that technical studies will help determine the most feasible route for the project. He said that Egypt’s strategic location allows it to play a vital role in transferring data from the Middle East to Europe, and a key would be more service paths.

“Egypt and Greece have deep rooted economic, political, and cultural ties, which have united the two countries for over thousands of years given that they are among the oldest civilizations known to humanity,” Talaat said. “The MoU signed between the two companies will contribute to strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of communications and information technology by maximizing data traffic that crosses the Mediterranean Sea, through Egypt and Greece.”

The strategic agreement allows for exploration of different connectivity options between Greece and Egypt, as well as the optimal use of Telecom Egypt’s and Grid Telecom’s networks and international reach, through their existing and future interconnectivity to neighboring countries.

Telecom Egypt’s international network extends to over 140 landing points in more than 60 countries, while Grid Telecom’s domestic fiber optic network exceeds 4,000 km.

Of note, Egypt’s distinct geographic location makes it a regional data hub, as it transfers traffic to Asia, Africa, and Europe through more than 13 submarine cables, which are scheduled to increase to 18 cables within three years.

“IPTO’s agreement to work with one of the world’s leading subsea cables operators further advances our international growth strategy and can actively contribute to Greece’s emergence as a key telecommunication hub in the broader Mediterranean region,” said IPTO Chairman and CEO Manos Manousakis.