General Imaging, licensee for GE-branded digital cameras, promoted Rene Buhay to senior vice president of Sales & Marketing for the Americas, effective September 1. Buhay had been vice president of sales for North America.

General Imaging, licensee for GE-branded digital cameras, promoted Rene Buhay to senior vice president of Sales & Marketing for the Americas, effective September 1. Buhay had been vice president of sales for North America.

“Rene has done a wonderful job for us in our first year of existence, and it gives me great pleasure to reward his vast skills and accomplishments with this promotion,” said Hiroshi “Hugh” Komiya, chairman and CEO of General Imaging. “He has helped take this company from a total unknown to a major force in the marketplace in a very short time. He is the channel architect who made this all happen.”

Besides directing sales throughout the U.S., Canada and Latin America, Buhay assumes additional responsibilities in marketing, including strategic planning for new sales channels, advertising and public relations.

“I’m thrilled and honored with this announcement, and I will do my utmost to live up to the high standards that Mr. Komiya and the rest of the General Imaging leadership have set for me,” Buhay said. “Over the coming year we will use every means available to dramatically raise the profile of GE digital cameras and make us one of the top brands in the world.”

Since its May 1 launch, GE-branded digital cameras have achieved a presence in 12,000 retail outlets and numerous online retailers. “We’re very pleased with our sales progress. We are on track to be in 20,000 retail outlets by the end of 2007,” Buhay added.