Dolby Laboratories has appointed Ramzi Haidamus (picture) as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dolby Laboratories. In his new position, Haidamus will also serve as Vice President and General Manager, Consumer Division, of Dolby Laboratories.

Both appointments will be effective 6 February 2006. As the most senior executive of the Consumer Division, Haidamus will be responsible for strategic direction of the development, marketing, and licensing of Dolby technologies that are used in a wide range of consumer electronics products.

Previously, Haidamus headed Via Licensing Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dolby Laboratories.

"Ramzi's energy, experience with licensing, and broad industry knowledge will be valuable assets in providing strong leadership for Dolby's Consumer Division," said Bill Jasper, President and CEO, Dolby Laboratories. "Since Via Licensing's inception three years ago, Ramzi has transformed the business from a start-up with three employees to a profitable, world-class patent licensing organization."

Prior to heading up Via Licensing, Haidamus spent several years in key positions at Dolby Laboratories, including Director of Business Development, Technology and Business Strategist, and Licensing Manager. He had a pivotal role in the successful adoption of Dolby's technologies in open standards, such as DVD-Video and DVD-Recordable, and was a key player in Dolby's achieving a joint Emmy Award in 1999 for scientific and technological advancement in the development of DVD technology.

Haidamus worked at Stanford Research Systems for seven years before joining Dolby Laboratories. He holds a BS degree in electrical engineering and an MS degree in computer engineering from the University of the Pacific and has completed advanced coursework at Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, and the Center for Creative Leadership.

Story filed 09.02.06