Motorola UK marketing director joins Kodak

Motorola Mobility’s UK and Ireland marketing director James Soames has left the mobile manufacturer to join Kodak Alaris as the personal imaging company’s first chief marketing officer.

kokak alaris
James Soames to join Kodak Alaris as the company’s first CMO.

Soames is responsible for global brand, marketing, PR and communications for the document imaging and personalised imaging businesses for Kodak Alaris which was separated from parent company Kodak Eastman late last year after it was sold to Kodak’s UK pension fund, alongside the company’s document scanning arm.

Ralf Gerbershagen, Kodak Alaris CEO, says Soames’ appointment will help bring a sense of “dynamism and experience” into its brand and marketing capabilities.

He adds: “James Soames is an experienced media and technology marketer with a powerful mix of energy, ideas, customer focus, creative flair and solid commercial involvement.”

Soames joined Motorola in 2011 as director of marketing operations for the company’s EMEA region, before becoming UK and Ireland marketing director earlier this year.

Under Soames’ leadership, Motorola launched the Moto G mid-range smartphone in the UK, growing the company’s share of the smartphone market in the region from less than 1 per cent to 6 per cent.

Motorola did not respond to a request for comment about whether Soames’ role will be directly replaced in time for publication.

His departure comes just two months after Motorola’s UK vice president and general manager Andrew Morley announced he was to leave the company.

Motorola, currently still a Google company, is preparing for its acquisition by Chinese computer giant Lenovo to complete.   

Prior to working at Motorola, Soames held a number of senior marketing and commercial roles at BskyB, 118118 and BT.  

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