The present invention relates to a microphone actuator for fitting a microphone through the upper surface of a table such as that used in a boardroom. The microphone actuator comprises a stepper motor (2), coupled to a gear (4, 6, 8, 14) which is arranged to cause extension and/or retraction of a microphone (11) from or into a housing (20) respectively. The invention also relates to a method of initializing a microphone actuator comprising the steps of initially moving the actuator to a retracted position until a retracted limit stop is reached, receiving user input indicating that a setup mode has been entered, receiving user input indicating that the actuator should be extended or retracted, receiving user input indicating that a desired actuator position has been reached, and storing the desired actuator position in memory.