https://www.cityam.com/top-hire-for-bri ... pher-ward/

CW have appointed a new Chief Operating Officer.
2IC to the CEO, apparently.

Edit. Google describes the COO as second in command to the Chief Executive Officer. Whether that's the exact setup in CW isn't clear.

Welcome Sarah Baumann. She joins at an interesting time. I wonder if she'll be attending some of the remaining events this year.

It says that the new Dallas showroom will open on 16th of September.

Is she replacing someone or is it that the growth now justifies an expanded leadership team?

This seems to be a new role. In many ways the COO role was what Chris Ward did when he was at the company but now the company is larger and the leadership roles are being defined differently and in a more normal corporate way.

Well, I’m sure her role will become clear as she settles into it. Very best wishes to her.

https://www.watchpro.com/christopher-wa ... in-a-year/

Congratulations to Sarah, and to CW on a ballooning profit.

Wowzers! CW achieved so much before she arrives so what's the top line in her personal objectives for '24/'25?

I just hope Sarah and the rest of the leadership team retain a focus on what makes CW different and special. Times of rapid growth can be very difficult to manage; I learned some difficult lessons on that topic when the company I work for experienced significant growth in a short time-span. I wish them well.

It's interesting that the COO seems to be a marketing whizz rather than a watchmaker. I suppose it's about positioning CW appropriately.

I give any fast-growing company credit for hiring senior management from outside before it’s clear current management are out of their depth. The opposite is depressingly common.

Rezn8r wrote: ↑Tue Sep 10, 2024 9:03 pm I give any fast-growing company credit for hiring senior management from outside before it’s clear current management are out of their depth. The opposite is depressingly common.

Still not a given. It doesn't seem to be going so well.chez Bremont.

All I want to know is what's her favourite CW and what's her daily wrist wear?

(Lord help us if it's an Apple Watch )

JAFO wrote: ↑Tue Sep 10, 2024 9:49 pm

Rezn8r wrote: ↑Tue Sep 10, 2024 9:03 pm I give any fast-growing company credit for hiring senior management from outside before it’s clear current management are out of their depth. The opposite is depressingly common.

Still not a given. It doesn't seem to be going so well.chez Bremont.

Bremont were a basket case before the new management came in. CW weren't but it's certainly true that new management isn't a guarantee of success.

Managing growth is a big challenge for any business. Mike France and Peter Ellis are experienced business leaders and managers and have planned and managed CW's growth rather well. There growth plan seems to be considered and strategic and I wish them and the business well. Could the growth plan have started earlier? Maybe. Could they afford to do it properly before now? Maybe not.

albionphoto wrote: ↑Wed Sep 11, 2024 12:01 am Bremont were a basket case before the new management came in. CW weren't but it's certainly true that new management isn't a guarantee of success.

^^^ This.

From what I’ve read, it seems the cash and profitability situations of the two entities prior to the respective appointments were radically different. Bremont seems much closer to the ‘depressingly common’ situations I’ve seen — in very different industries, to be sure, however this tendency doesn’t seem to depend on the industry much.

JAFO wrote: ↑Tue Sep 10, 2024 9:49 pm

Rezn8r wrote: ↑Tue Sep 10, 2024 9:03 pm I give any fast-growing company credit for hiring senior management from outside before it’s clear current management are out of their depth. The opposite is depressingly common.

Still not a given. It doesn't seem to be going so well.chez Bremont.

Wishing her success in her new role. Looking at her background, it seems clear that her focus would be to scale the brand.