I guess Hasselblad really wants to focus on the “fashion” aspect of their camera business. At least that could be the reason why they choose Perry Oosting as new CEO. Hasselblad just recently announced the Stellar II which is their fourth Sony based luxury edition cameras after the [shoplink 22672 ebay]Hasselblad Lunar (here on eBay)[/shoplink], [shoplink 22673 ebay]Stellar (here one Bay)[/shoplink] and the Hasselblad HV (here at BHphoto). Now let’s see if and how they will continue to expand that kind of business with the new CEO.
Here comes the full press release from Hasselblad:
Hasselblad Group has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect.
Perry Oosting – an established member of the Hasselblad Supervisory Board – takes the helm following the completion of former CEO Ian Rawcliffe’s interim CEO assignment.
Mr Oosting brings over 25 years of experience in brand, product, marketing and sales-management to the company and has worked for iconic global brands such as Bulgari, Prada and Gucci.
As a former CEO of luxury mobile phone manufacturer VERTU he achieved substantial revenue growth and profit – and prepared the company for a solid brand & product proposition as he initiated change to a new operating system to widen appeal to a broader customer audience.
He said: “It is an honour for me to accept this new role at Hasselblad and become an integral part of this iconic brand. This company has an incredible history and with its core DNA has a sound foundation for further development. The recent and widely acclaimed launch of our ‘back to the future’ CFV-50c CMOS back is a great example of our ongoing commitment to the total Hasselblad brand experience that enables customers to benefit from our advanced and exclusive digital engineering know-how.”
He added: “My former experiences will certainly be an advantage, but I see Hasselblad as a unique opportunity and therefore it will need a tailor-made strategic direction and implementation to support future growth.”
Dr. Helmut Vorndran, Chairman of the Supervisory Board Hasselblad added: “We are delighted Perry has accepted this new role to further develop and strengthen our brand and product proposition. Now with the combination of a solid foundation, and Perry’s priceless expertise, we feel confident we can achieve our ambitious goals. We also thank his predecessor Ian for setting the base within the agreed time schedule and for his valuable contribution to Hasselblad.”
A Hasselblad spokesperson commented: “Former CEO Ian Rawcliffe’s focus was to enhance the company’s operations and build a solid base. With this in place together with Perry’s extensive experience, the company now has the best foundation to successfully implement its long term strategy – based on its unique positioning and strength in its core product proposition.”
55 Responses
I wish hasselblad would focus on pushing innovation instead of tricking out Sony cameras. Perhaps a new line mirroless medium format cameras, or at the very least, create a mirroless version of the H series with Sony’s new 50MP CMOS sensor and an EVF. Combining that with the leaf shutters the HC lenses already have would make a great low light shooter!
Unfortunately it’s easier to pimp up an existing product, charge an insane amount of money for it, and blame a third part design division if the product is ugly and doesn’t sell.
That strategy wasn’t successful for them last time. Seems quite insane to continue the mistake. Sad times.
From camera legend Victor Hasselblad to fashion expert Perry Oosting. The end should be near…
Yes. Professional photographers don’t need a fashion product. R.I.P. Hasselblad.
Attitude, black shirts, leather shoes, jeans and jacket is all they need!
He looks vey nervous in this picture.
he probably knows what is coming next and wants to cash in before retiring.
Essentially what Hasselblad is doing is cutting out any major R&D costs associated with semi-conductor / high-tech and quick cycle depreciation. Fashion = Low Tech, lower cost and slow cycle depreciation. Combined with the “luxury” brand identity of Hasselblad then they are obviously going for super high margin. They are turning Hasselblad into an emotional buying experience rather than a technical/rational one. If they can accomplish this goal then it would be considered a master stroke of genius.
Dear Hassy,
If you want to be Leica and sell luxury cameras please do It in compact full frame like they do.
Make a luxury version of the Sony A7II. Make it duo tone silver and black, Gold and black and Titanium color like the Leicas.
Do the same with Carl Zeiss Fe lenses. same duo tone so it will match with the camera.
If I were rich and I see an A7II in gold w/ matching black gold Zeiss lens I will buy it right away. I will spend $10k for such camera and laugh all day at Leica owners.
Pretty sure Leica owners will laugh right back at your gold coloured Sony 🙂
They destroyed the name. Congratulations..
Save some time, shut the doors now, and pay the creditors more than 10c in the dollar.
Hasselblad is a joke, and has been for a longtime.
The only market for them now is Paris Hilton, and she’ll want one for free so she can walk around town with one around her shoulder, to replace her chiwawa.
Goodbye Hasselblad.
J
Hassleblad, soon to be explained at any photo academy as the Sony pimp division.
On the other hand Hasselblad sells pro cameras to the fashion people, so what better CEO than one that knows the fashion industry. If this same CEO helps them sell gold, silver and titanium Sony/Zeiss products that would be even better.
Maybe a fashion photographer … the Hasselblad is not only for fashion photographers …
The H5D-200MS is very commonly used for reproduction of art and documents.
the H5D-50c is a really allrounder … since the ISO6400 images are incredibly beautiful!
Oosting is a salesman who may or may not bring new ideas in the company … but I really hope that they do not forget that THIS IS A CAMERA and not a luxury good!
I still use my 2003 FCW Hasselblad and really hope they are getting back on the track because PhaseOne and Leaf are rocking the medium format world at the moment.
Tried the Pentax, it is a really nice camera and very cheap, shame the sensor is not really medium format still. but it was fun to use and the dynamic range / colors are gorgeous. Great for repo.
Use a Nikon and an Otus – blows all others away.
Not the Pentax, it’s such a nice image coming from that sensor and the depth perspective is gorgeous.
Not even the D810 can be beat the Pentax, otus or no otus
Anton Berlin will blow anyone who agrees with him. LOL
Maybe he was chosen because he can look in two directions simultaneously (see picture). The glitzy business and the professional medium format business. May he be successful whatever he decides.
Soon you will be able to buy Hassleblad sticker sheets and H branded wooden grips to glue on your existing Sony camera’s and phones, the innovation! the luxury feel of wood! If they would build a medium format mirrorles for $3500 with a real 60×60 or even 60x45mm sensor, they might have a chance of survival. Asa sticker sheet seller, they will just become a novelty item for as long as people can remember what the H actually stood for.
hah yes, a Hassleblad sticker sheet, it will probably be the only thing left of those diggheads.
Hey troll, how about stop all talking about ‘pro’ its tired already, and talk about ‘not’ looking pro so you can actually shoot say..in many major cities or such and any places that are averse paradoxically to the low quality ‘pro’ cam setups for reasons of terrorist threat…and making a useful medium format cam instead of the path they were following is patent use of my idea that you know all too well though i didn’t have to mention it here did I. But will you be able to keep all the ‘pro’ and non ‘pro’ camera shooters free to do what they really must without real hindrance..and perhaps talk about how being considered a ‘pro’ can just mean in fact you are trailed for years with every detail possibly explicitly recorded and of course those you are left to care about in this increasingly dangerous world at untold unknown risk from such. finally drop that ‘player’ now its also tired. troll off, if you were a photographer those matters would be matters of existential interest to you and not JUST ‘markets’ and your own politics. Say one more thing…I do photography for art and sure it could come to that being problematic outside of politics, oh it already is
You know Nerdo, the only real ‘pro’ shooter who can shoot as they please now, are ‘police’ ones, doesn’t that bother you photographer or not, more than medium format ‘playboy stickers’? This is all despite recommendations by such as yourself…well the secret services who believe that having public stock of images helps, not a threat in of itself…nevermind freedom of expression, do you even care that some photographers don’t want anything to do with such politics at all? That some photographers will JUST lose a lot of money like your wonderful ‘pro’ counter shooters. Are your clowning rights being infringed elsewhere and in public so you cant JUST go up to people and make their day worse and everything nihilistic? This happens every time, you are slow and dig a hole only to entrench yourselves in it for last defence. How about marching forward with the subjects at hand?
It is like Hassleblad is playing russian roulette with their name while everybody else is getting their shiznizz together.
B0000M HEADSHOT! Hassle is becoming more like unreal tournament: used to be cool and high tech, now it’s just some hip name nobody really knows what it stands for anymore.
oh great a fashion guy as CEO of a technology company… exactly what hasselblad needs. they really seem to be desperate.
get the ultra rich idiots to buy hasselblad .. forget about the pro studio photographers.
What a bloody mistake…..! :D:D:D:D:D
I didn’t realise that a company continuing to lose money can be considered a ‘Base’…Yes maybe it is a good thing that they turn their attention to fashion accessories…and leave camera production to the Japanese…
lol
can’t wait for Canon’s mirrorless FF camera 🙂
Can’t wait for stupid comments like this to disappear.
Can’t wait until Sony’s PR department decides to stop paying trolls to defend the faults of its cameras and uses the money for fixing them.
Why should it bother you? At least we’re making money from our choices in life and loving all this wonderful cutting-edge kit. You have a nice day and be careful you don’t pull your back with all your super-sized Nikon kit.
Pretty sure if Sony would hire people to troll they would never hire these idiots, some can’t even speak their own language.
It goes to show that Hasselblad’s Venture Capital owners, Ventizz Capital, has learned nothing and still does not belong in the photographic business.
Wait… why does this in a ‘SONYALPHArumors’ page? 😉
Because Hassleblad uses sony camera’s for their raw material, they take a A7, slap some paint on it, market da fug out of it and try to grab a $2300 profit on a $600 camera.
$200 camera
So… What?
How to become respectable: Slap and H on, splash a bit of gold and red paint where you think you need it. Add some wood and finish it off with a handmade leather case. Pretty sure for most outsiders it’s unclear if we are talking about a camera or a cheap Ho
Rich Asian Market.
After looking at Vertu it’s easy to see where this is heading. Overpriced luxury goods without any added value in the way of technology, ergonomics or real design. Just add bling and up the price. Once Hasselblad was all about attention to details that actually mattered to photographers. It was the same with their accessory line. Now it’s all about expensive leather, exotic wood and stupid gems. And they don’t care if you slam a 16 mm Sony pancake on a 7000 $ camera and take crappy pictures with soft corners. Image quality is no longer synonymous with ‘Hasselblad’.
Why are we talking about a new Hasselblad CEO when we could be talking about New Hasselblad cameras and backs with SONY SENSORS. Here’s the new CFV-50c back for the 500 series cameras http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1070610-REG/hasselblad_cfv_50_digital_back_50mp_black.html
H5D-50c with Wi-Fi http://www.adorama.com/HSH5D50CW.html?utm_term=Other&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Other&utm_source=adl-umbase
BTW does Phase One have True Focus to compensate for focus shift when re-composing?
I guess in a mission to Mars the astronauts are not going to use a Hasselblad camera but a fashion Hasselblad suit that is going to combine with the sands of the red planet.
Victor Hasselblad is rolling in his grave.
I still remember way back when Hasselblad made high quality professional level cameras…that was before they gave all that up to go into comedy.
Now they can make desighnery picture taking clothing…cant call it photography clothing because no real photographers would buy it.
Hasselblad should team up with Colorform and make a desighner camera playset you can dress up yourself.
It’s incredibly sad to see how far one of the greatest brands in the history of photography has fallen.
The day is near, they will design a wooden lens.
next new hasselblad with old wooden grip and golden skirt on it
I have the Pentax645z/Sony and it is good/excellent, but not perfect. Would I entertain the Hass/sony version? – no, I need to eat. Also in a lot of respects the Hass is not a better camera, just a more expensive one