Council Member Biography
Robert Sethre is the CEO and Principal Analyst of the Woodford Group in New York, where he provides insights about the printing and imaging industry. He has over 20 years experience with leading companies in the sector such as Konica Minolta, Lexmark, Kyocera Mita and Lanier. Mr. Sethre has expertise on network printers, multifunction printers, software applications, color technologies and production workflows. He specializes in product planning and life cycle management, pricing, channel and program development, solutions partnerships, vertical industry marketing and supply chain optimization. Previously, Mr. Sethre was Director of Printer Marketing at Konica Minolta, with program responsibility for product marketing, channel development and pricing strategies. In previous positions within Konica Minolta he was responsible for the launch of the highly regarded bizhub product range, commercial and technical product management, international channel development, output management consulting programs as well as marketing strategies and communications. Mr. Sethre also spearheaded targeted business initiatives to take the color business into the mainstream, develop high-volume and high-value production business, create vertical market business programs and launch new pricing initiatives, all of which were vital to the success of the color business. (This is me - Update Profile)
Employment History
- 2008 - Unspecified
- Chief Executive Officer, Woodford Group, LLC
- 2007 - 2008
- Director, Printer Marketing, KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS SOLUTIONS U.S.A., INC.
- 1998 - 2007
- Manager, Marketing Strategies and Communications, KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS SOLUTIONS EUROPE GMBH
- 1995 - 1998
- Manager, European Retail Industry, LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL, INC.
GLG NewsSM Analyses by Robert Sethre(?)
Opinions and analyses expressed in GLG News are solely those of the author. See the Terms of Use for details.
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An Opportunity - New Times, New Faces
June 5, 2009
Xerox Appoints Burns as CEO | www.businessweek.com
This is a great opportunity for Xerox and Ursula Burns, though maybe not necessarily in that order. Ursula Burns is certainly competent and well prepared, but given the current economic situation and imaging industry flux, there is nothing that can be taken for granted. It remains to be seen whether she can continue the positive trajectory established for Xerox under the stewardship of Anne Mulcahy.
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VPRT - Putting the Pieces Together
May 4, 2009
VistaPrint Shares Rise on 1Q Earnings, Outlook | finance.yahoo.com
Vistaprint has defied the physics of the market over the past six months by posting healthy growth in revenue, margins and stock price. They have achieved this by targeting an unspectacular but profitable customer group (SMB), which is somehow appropriate given the fact that they are part of an unspectacular but profitable sector (printing and imaging). With a strong focus on what drives business for their selected customers, they have worked to expand relevant offerings and execute on promoting and fulfilling their products. So far, the results speak volumes about their strategy and implementation.
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Lexmark Downgrade - Should We/They Be concerned?
March 5, 2009
S&P downgrades Lexmark on profit challenges | www.marketwatch.com
The issues are not new, but they remain significant: Lexmark's product line development needs and excessive focus on the inkjet / consumer space. An improvement or even a stabilization of future results depends on addressing these topics.
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Printing Companies' Message - Print Less, Save More?
February 25, 2009
Xerox Tries to Go Beyond Copiers | online.wsj.com
For decades, the imaging industry (especially the copier/MFP segment) thrived on the premise that hardware and print volume are the keys to success. Get and maintain the installs (the famous "MIF" - machines in field), and make sure they are well fed with toner. While the vendors hope to earn a bit if possible on the hardware, they want to ensure that they earn a lot on the consumables by encouraging their clients print / copy a lot. That was then, but a "new now" is emerging: the dual trends of economic pressures and increased capabilities for print output transparency are encouraging much better managed print fleets and workflows. Against all apparent logic, imaging companies are now encouraging their users to print less. Are these companies suicidal, or at the very least masochistic? Not at all, they are just seizing the trend and looking for a bigger piece of a smaller pie.
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HP - Looking for the Balance (3)
February 25, 2009
HP profit slumps 13% on weak PC and ink sales | www.livemint.com
This commentary is a copy of the analysis submitted a few days ago regarding the same topic (commenting the WSJ article). HP is highly successful and highly respected, and for good reason. Nonetheless, the earnings call was a missed opportunity to show strategic balance and direction for the company and the industry, especially regarding IPG (what the article calls the "printer and ink" division). In difficult economic times, expectations are high to get some key insights from market leaders, and HP still owes the market some indication of their plans to grow and thrive.
Leading institutions connect with Robert Sethre through GLG
GLG Study Groups with Robert Sethre(?)
| Study Group Name | No. Members |
|---|---|
| TMT Council Members in Member Programs | 16437 |
| Technology Council Members in Member Programs | 8640 |
| Commercial Printing Experts | 1350 |
| Direct Mail Marketing Experts | 473 |
| Direct Mail Marketing Experts (North America) | 434 |
GLG Live Meetings with Robert Sethre(?)
Recent Seminars
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February 12, 2009 | New York
GLG Seminar: (NYC) Imaging Industry Landscape