Dr. Magnus Ekerot was released from his position as chief executive officer of Mobotix effective immediately following a meeting of the Supervisory Board on February 18.
In addition to his duties as the chief financial officer (CFO), Klaus Gesmann will take over the responsibilities of the CEO and sales until further notice. Dr. Oliver Gabel will remain as chief technical officer (CTO).
While there’s been no further official comment from the Mobotix team in Australia or Germany, at the Mobotix Partner Conference in Sydney during the week, every Mobotix staff member I spoke with talked without prompting of reigniting the company’s highly distinctive identity. Certainly the product, technology and partner loyalty exist to achieve this.
From a local management perspective the move is unlikely to impact greatly, with the experienced Graham Wheeler at the helm of a capable and motivated team. Given Ekerot’s baby was the Mobotix partner program, which has been criticised as adding unnecessary red tape, Mobotix partners are likely to see a welcome streamlining of process. Mobotix' dynamic, lateral-thinking company founder, Dr. Ralf Hinkel, is also likely to take on a greater leadership role.
John Adams
