UK high-end audio distributor, Fine Sounds UK has added to its growing team with two new appointments and a key promotion, further fuelling the company’s development.
Andy Oattes, sales director of Fine Sounds UK, has been promoted to country manager, taking on a key role in business strategy, expansion, and development for the company.
“Andy has been instrumental in achieving strong growth for our brands in the UK and Ireland, and building strong relationships with our trade partners,” said Lionel Nunney, CCO of McIntosh Group. “We are thrilled by the progress made in just over one year and the positive feedback received from our partners.”
The sales team has gained ex-Chord Company area sales manager, Joe Gormley as business development manager, a role also undertaken by Fine Sounds’ Matt Peddle, allowing the business to cover the whole of the UK and Ireland more effectively.
With a 17-year history in the audio industry, including positions held with Hi-Fi Corner, installation expert Finite Solutions (where Joe and the team won a CEDIA Best Home Cinema Award), and most recently, Chord Company, Gormley brings extensive CI and hi-fi experience to Fine Sounds.
The final appointment is of well-known industry creative, Dale Linzey as Fine Sounds’ full-time marketing coordinator. He has worked independently within the audio industry for more than 25 years and brings a wealth of design know-how to the business, having worked closely with hundreds of well-known audio brands in recent decades.
Fine Sounds’ new country manager, Andy Oattes, commented on the two appointments: “We are delighted to welcome Joe to the Fine Sounds family. Joe’s extensive background in the high-end audio and CI space will be a huge asset to our business in the UK and Ireland. He is incredibly well-respected and has an intimate understanding of the needs of the dealer and a planned, supportive, and professional approach.
“When we launched Fine Sounds UK, we set out with the ambition to provide our community of hi-fi and CI-Fi dealers the very best service across the industry, and we know that Joe will make a significant positive impact on our journey.”
Oattes continued: “Dale Linzey has been a huge asset to our business. His graphic design talent and passion for going the extra mile has resulted in a class-leading company branding, but also proved invaluable to our dealers when we have collaborated on projects. Moving forward, I’m looking forward to being able to work closer with Dale to increase collaboration with dealers, suppliers and brand partners.”
The appointments follow a year of significant growth for the company, with the expansion of its headquarters in Fife, Scotland, allowing a greater range of hi-fi and CI-Fi products to be kept in stock and reduce customer waiting times.
Last year also saw the expansion of the product portfolio to include McIntosh and Sonus faber installation products. Fine Sounds UK also became an official CEDIA partner in 2021, bringing McIntosh and Sonus faber’s high-performance CI-Fi offerings to the organisation’s accredited installers and their customers for the first time.