Grundig UK chief leaves for Hitachi Digital Media

Grundig UK managing director David Oldroyd has left the consumer electronics company after less than a year to become chief executive of Hitachi’s Digital Media Group.

Oldroyd, who leaves Grundig at the end of this week, will be responsible for overseeing business development and growing market share for the group, particularly for its high-end TV range. He takes over on December 1.

Grundig appointed Oldroyd, a former sales and marketing director at Samsung, as managing director late last year as part of the senior management ahead of a relaunch of the brand (MW March 16). It has no plans to replace Oldroyd directly but Mark Neave, whom Oldroyd brought in as general manager from Samsung, will be promoted to the new role of head of brand.

Grundig, which relaunched this summer after a four-year absence, is positioning itself as a premium company aimed at consumers aged between 35 and 55, who want simple products with good design. It is focusing on digital TV, high-definition content and games consoles.

Earlier this year, Grundig pulled out of the standard definition TV market to focus solely on high-definition products (MW August 10).