AES Welcomes New Alliance, Leadership Changes

New York, NY (October 15, 2025)—The Audio Engineering Society is getting the band back together thanks to a new alliance that will see it enter a “shared resource arrangement” with the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). Notably, two of the resources to be shared will be IES’s executive director, Colleen Harper, and director of Business Operations, Graham Kirk.

Harper will become the AES’s executive director and will simultaneously guide both organizations; she previously served as the executive director of AES from 2019-2022, during which time she led the Society through significant growth and development. Graham Kirk will also again work with AES in a shared role as director of Business Operations, building on his existing track record of industry partnerships and revenue growth.

The AES expects the arrangement, slated to start December 16, 2025, to strengthen its leadership, operational capacity, and long-term growth and stability. “We are very excited about this next chapter,” said AES president Gary Gottlieb. “The last time we had the winning combination of Colleen, Graham and [industry media firm] Clyne Media, AES saw measurable gains in membership and event attendance. We believe this shared arrangement brings us back to that successful formula, while also giving AES access to the depth and flexibility of a larger team.”

View From the Top: Gary Gottlieb, President, AES

Under the new relationship, some current IES staff will support both IES and AES initiatives, and IES will hire three additional staff members to accommodate the increased workload. The aim is to provide the benefits of working with an association management company (AMC), including the ability to pivot staff resources to where they are most needed in an open collaboration between like-minded organizations.

“This arrangement empowers AES to focus squarely on serving its members and advancing audio innovation,” said Harper. “By partnering with IES, we’re able to add new resources, and tap into the strength of a team that already has critical experience working with a highly technical society. It allows AES’s membership and volunteer leadership to focus on what AES does best: connecting our global audio community, supporting education and research, and creating world-class events. Most importantly, it ensures that members remain at the heart of every decision we make and every initiative we pursue.”

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Graham Kirk echoed Harper’s thoughts: “I’m thrilled to work with AES again in this new partnership with IES. I have seen firsthand its passion and creativity of this community. I know how important it is to have the right team and resources in place to support our members and partners. This arrangement gives us the flexibility to expand opportunities, strengthen industry relationships, and deliver even more value to our members, whether through conferences or conventions, events or ongoing global engagement throughout the year.”