Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (CTHE) has created a worldwide marketing group under president Benjamin S Feingold reinforcing the global nature of the business and reflecting Sony Pictures' unified domestic and international theatrical organisation under Jeff Blake.

Three senior executives have been promoted within CTHE. Robin Russell, formerly executive vice president, has been promoted to senior executive vice president and general manager. She will continue to oversee CTHE's worldwide business and legal affairs and will now be responsible for the division's worldwide administration. She will also help determine the global stretegic business direction of CTHE working closely with Feingold to whom she will continue to report.

Lexine Wong, formerly senior vice president of international marketing, has been promoted to executive vice president of worldwide marketing. She will now supervise domestic as well as international marketing activties for the company. She will create and implement worldwide marketing strategies for theatrical and non-theatrical titles released on all home video formats, creative services, advertising and publicity. Reporting to Feingold, she will also orchestrate worldwide promotional partnerships and managed worldwide DVD programming, content and menu production group.

Marshall Foster has been promoted to the newly created position of executive vice president - North America. He was previously senior vice president of sales (North America) and will continue to oversee North American sales and administration activities as well as working closely with Wong to formulate North American marketing strategies.

"These appointments certainly demonstrate a strategic response to an evolving global marketplace which is being redefined by new technologies and which demands immediate, creative and novel responses," said Feingold in a statement. "These appointments also reflect my confidence in each of these executives as well as my policy of internal promotion."