In a surprising and unexplained decision coming seemingly out nowhere, Hasselblad CEO, Perry Oosting, has announced that he is stepping down from his position at the Swedish medium format camera company within days.
With unnerving swiftness Oosting will officially vacate the position at the end of January, when he will then return to an advisory position on the company board. Following this, effective of 1 February 2017, Paul Bram will serve as an Interim CEO. Appointed by the Board of Directors to this temporary post, Bram currently serves as an Advisor to Hasselblad, and has gained extensive leadership history at tech companies Ericsson and Gambro.
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“I am honoured to take on the role as interim CEO for this iconic and much-loved company,” said Bram. “Hasselblad represents outstanding quality, passion for fine art and pioneering technology. Over the coming months we will continue the started path and strategic direction, including accelerating R&D and software development in Gothenburg, Sweden. Going forward I am immensely proud to be part of this continuing journey. ”
Becoming CEO of Hasselbad just over two years ago, Oosting’s sudden departure from the position comes as somewhat of a shock. His savvy leadership over this time has taken the company from severe difficulty into a period of prosperity. By pushing specialist innovation and research over bizarre novelty items, he has greatly improved the reputation and stability of Hasselblad as a premier camera brand. A prime example of this being the exceptional sales of the X1D camera in 2016.
The DigitalRev team met with Oosting in July 2016
Oosting said of his tenure, “In the beginning of 2015 I was asked to take the role as CEO to secure sustainable growth and prepare the business for the next steps in its development. During 2016, we launched several new products and a complete new electronic platform. The market reaction to the strategic direction and its products were overwhelming. ” He added “I would like to thank all involved and foresee a bright future for the team of Hasselblad. ”
Also of crucial note, it was during Oosting’s time in control that a major partnership between Hasselblad and drone makers DJI was arranged and implemented. A relationship that places the company in an amazing position to reach a much larger audience with their products.
The DJI takeover was a major event for Hasselblad
Though Hasselblad has remained silent on the specific reasons for Oosting’s move away from the company’s leadership, they claim in their statement that he has “accomplished what he was tasked to achieve. ”
“We would like to thank Mr Perry Oosting for his extraordinary efforts. Under his leadership a foundation for future growth is established and the company has extended its customer base substantially,” said the Supervisory Board.
. digitalrev.com2017-1-28 03:00
